The Dutch like to follow a fairly set routine for their meals with breakfast, lunch and dinner interspersed with a definite coffee break at about 10.30am, tea with cake at about 4pm and the ‘borrel’ at 5pm, which is time for a small drink and a few titbits before dinner. After dinner it’s quite normal to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, a slice of cake or pie and a drink.

Dinner is normally eaten quite early, sometimes as early as 5pm, but rarely later than 8pm or 9pm, and late-night dining spots are hard to find.