Week 1: Detailed Recipe Guide & Centerpieces
A robust, clay-country loaf adjusted with wholemeal spelt flour. Perfect for an electric Bread Maker.
Load Pan: Add tepid water, oil, and honey to the pan first.
Add Dry: Cover liquid with flour. Place salt in one corner.
Yeast: Make a shallow indent in the center of the flour and add yeast.
Bake: Set machine to "Wholewheat", medium crust. Start.
A high-protein lunch utilizing the medieval perennial green, Chénopode Bon-Henri.
Boil: Rinse lentils and boil for 20-25 mins until tender. Drain.
Blanch: Plunge leaves into boiling water for 30 seconds, then into ice water. Drain and chop.
Dress: Whisk oil and vinegar. Toss lentils, greens, and onions.
A hearty stew utilizing crops that thrive in heavy clay soils.
Sauté: Fry onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until soft.
Simmer: Add turnips, tomatoes, and stock. Simmer for 20 mins.
Beans: Add broad beans and cook for a further 10 mins until tender.
A 150-year-old family recipe, perfectly adapted (baked, using whole spelt).
Boil & Mash: Boil potatoes. Weigh out 200g and mash thoroughly.
Form Dough: Mix in spelt flour, baking powder, and salt.
Bake: Roll thin, cut into squares. Bake at 180°C for 25 mins.
A quick assembly utilizing leftover baked roots or cooked spelt grains.
Dress: Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
Toss: Combine the cooked grains, chopped carrots, and dressing.
A savory, warming stew that makes use of the historic quince tree.
Spice: Fry onion until soft. Add spices and toast for 1 minute.
Simmer: Add the diced quince, tomatoes, and 100ml water. Cover and simmer for 30 mins until quince is soft.
Finish: Stir in chickpeas and heat through.
Adapted from Taste of Home: swapped butter for oil, replaced white flour with spelt, slashed sugar.
Mix: Combine dry ingredients. Beat egg yolks, milk, and oil. Combine.
Whip: Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.
Cook: Bake in a waffle maker. Serve with fruit.
A sharp, lemony medieval soup thickened with white beans instead of cream.
Base: Soften onion and diced potato in 1 tbsp oil.
Simmer: Add stock and beans. Simmer for 15 mins until potato is soft.
Wilt & Blend: Remove from heat, stir in sorrel until wilted. Blend until smooth.
A peasant-style cabbage soup.
Sweat: Cook chopped leek and carrots in a pan for 10 mins.
Simmer: Add stock, cabbage, and beans. Simmer for 20 mins until tender.
A fiber-dense start using the medieval 'Medlar' fruit, which naturally tastes like apple-cinnamon when bletted.
Simmer: Cook oats and milk in a pan on medium-low for 10 mins until creamy.
Serve: Swirl the sweet, cinnamon-like medlar flesh into the hot porridge.
A simple, earthy salad featuring roots that push easily through clay.
Toss: Mix the cold roasted beetroot cubes with the walnuts, 2 tbsp oil, and 1 tbsp balsamic.
Serve: Plate the salad alongside toasted slices of homemade spelt bread.
We skip the potato starch and blend sweet, winter-frosted parsnips with protein-rich white beans.
Boil: Boil the parsnips and whole garlic cloves until very tender (about 20 mins).
Warm Beans: Heat the white beans gently in a separate pan.
Mash: Drain the parsnips. Add the warm beans, olive oil, and a splash of hot water. Mash aggressively or blend until smooth. Serve with greens.
Buckwheat (Sarrasin) is an ancient, soil-restoring pseudocereal perfectly suited for breakfast.
Simmer: Combine groats, milk, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 15 mins.
Serve: Top with sliced fresh plums.
A dense, chewy grain bowl packed with perennial greens.
Boil: Cook barley in stock or salted water for 30 mins until chewy but tender. Drain.
Toss: Toss hot barley with wilted greens, raw garlic, oil, and zest.
We skip the minced meat for brown lentils, and swap heavy potato mash for a lighter globe-turnip top.
Base: Sauté veg, add lentils, paste, and stock. Simmer 25 mins until thick. Pour into baking dish.
Mash: Boil turnips until very soft. Drain completely. Mash with the egg yolk for richness.
Bake: Spread mash over lentils. Bake at 200°C for 15 mins to crisp the top.
EAT-Lancet limits eggs to about 1.5 per week. We use our 2 daily backyard eggs shared across the family, padded heavily with healthy greens.
Wilt: Heat oil in a pan and wilt the large volume of greens completely.
Scramble: Whisk the 2 eggs. Pour over the greens and scramble quickly.
Serve: Divide the green-heavy scramble over the 4 pieces of toast.
A raw, crunchy wrap featuring the short, stump-rooted carrots that excel in heavy clay without forking.
Assemble: Smear a thick layer of hummus onto each wrap.
Fill & Roll: Pile high with grated raw carrot and rocket. Roll tightly and slice.
A historic Moselle dish. We remove the heavy salted pork and use smoked tofu to provide the traditional deep, smoky flavor.
Broth: Bring the stock and bouquet garni to a simmer in a large heavy pot.
Vegetables: Add the root veg. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Cabbage & Tofu: Add the cabbage quarters and smoked tofu. Cover and simmer for a final 25 minutes until all veg is extremely tender.
A warm, comforting weekend breakfast using northern-climate apples.
Mix Stuffing: Combine the oats, oil, syrup, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Stuff: Pack the mixture tightly into the hollowed-out apples.
Bake: Place in a baking dish with 1cm of water at the bottom. Bake at 180°C for 30 mins until apple is soft.
A liquid lunch utilizing the deeply flavored, smoky vegetable broth left over from last night's Potée.
Croutons: Cube the bread. Toss in oil and minced garlic. Toast in a pan until crispy.
Broth: Heat the leftover broth until piping hot (75°C).
Serve: Pour broth into mugs and top with crunchy croutons.
Classic French crêpes made from 100% buckwheat, stuffed with earthy mushrooms.
Batter: Whisk flour, egg, water, and salt. Let rest for at least 1 hour.
Filling: Fry mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until dark and crispy. Stir in parsley.
Cook: Pour a ladle of batter into a hot, oiled pan. Swirl thin. Cook 2 mins per side. Fold mushrooms inside.
Swap these magnificent family recipes into your 21-day menu when you need a weekend centerpiece or are hosting guests.
A beautifully dense, handwritten family recipe. Adapted for planetary health by swapping a heavy butter crust for an olive-oil spelt crust, and balancing the nut density to fit daily limits.
Pastry: Mix spelt flour, salt, olive oil, and water into a dough. Press evenly into the base and sides of an 18cm deep springform tin. Chill.
Sauté: Fry the leeks, garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a little oil for 4-5 mins until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 mins. Set aside to cool.
Mix Filling: Once the veg is cool, stir in the coarsely ground toasted nuts, grated cheese, dried cranberries, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the 2 eggs until completely combined.
Bake: Pack the filling tightly into the pastry case. Bake at 200°C for 50-60 minutes until golden and firm.
A handwritten family favorite transformed into a planetary health feast. We stretch our daily two backyard eggs with a mountain of vegetables, swap heavy cheese for a light sprinkle of local Gouda, and serve with high-protein pinto beans and wholewheat quesadillas.
Refried Beans: Heat oil in a pan. Briefly fry the cumin and cayenne. Add the pinto beans and water. Mash roughly and simmer until thick. Set aside.
Veg Scramble: In a large pan, fry the onion, pepper, mushrooms, sweetcorn, and chili until soft. Beat the 2 eggs and pour over the mountain of veg. Scramble quickly until just set.
Quesadillas: Place a tortilla in a dry frying pan (no oil). Add a little cheese to one half, fold it over, and toast on both sides until melted.
Serve: Plate the scramble with the refried beans, quesadillas, mashed tomato salsa, and the pea-stretched guacamole.
A family favorite radically adapted for planetary health. We slashed the original 400g of sugar down to 100g, used apple compote to halve the oil, and swapped white flour for whole spelt. 4 eggs were reduced to 2 backyard eggs and 2 'flax eggs' to protect our weekly limits.
Wet Mix: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, apple compote, eggs, and the thickened flax-egg mixture.
Dry Mix: In another bowl, combine the spelt flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the grated carrots and walnuts.
Bake: Pour into a lined baking tin. Cook at 150°C (300°F) for 45-55 mins until a skewer comes out clean.
A beautiful morning bake. Saturated coconut oil is swapped for light rapeseed oil. *Eco-Tip: If you want to avoid imported tropical bananas, 250g of local bletted medlars or thick pear purée works perfectly!*
Prep: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 12-cup muffin tin.
Wet: Thoroughly mash the bananas/fruit. Mix in the oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Dry: Gently fold in the whole spelt flour, baking soda, and salt. Do not overmix.
Fruit: Fold in the chopped dates, then distribute evenly across the 12 muffin cups.
Bake: Cook for exactly 18 mins. Cool before serving.
A handwritten family classic adapted for planetary health. We swap the double cream for lighter milk (or oat milk) and use a crisp olive-oil spelt crust to drastically lower the saturated fat while preserving the warming, autumnal flavors.
Pastry: Mix the spelt flour, olive oil, water, and salt into a dough. Press firmly into a pie dish and set aside.
Purée: Roast or boil the pumpkin until very soft, then mash into a smooth purée.
Simmer: In a pan, gently heat the milk, sugar, and all the spices until simmering. Remove from heat.
Combine & Bake: Whisk the 2 eggs in a bowl. Slowly pour the warm spiced milk over the eggs while whisking. Add the pumpkin purée and mix well. Pour into the pastry case and bake at 180°C for 35-40 mins until set.
A classic handwritten family side dish adapted to fit EAT-Lancet limits. By swapping half the potatoes for clay-loving globe turnips, and replacing processed spreads with a drizzle of olive oil, we lower the glycemic load while preserving the deeply savory, slow-cooked stock flavors.
Prep Roots: Peel and slice the potatoes and turnips. Soak the potato slices in cold water for 15 mins to remove excess starch. Drain and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.
Layer: In a baking dish, layer the dried roots and chopped onions, seasoning between layers with salt, pepper, and a grating of fresh nutmeg.
Stock: Stir the crushed garlic into the vegetable stock and pour it evenly over the layered roots.
Bake: Drizzle the top layer with the olive oil to help it crisp. Bake at 180°C for 1 hour until the roots are tender and the top is golden.