The Third Plate

'I thought it would be impossible for Dan Barber to be as interesting on the page as he is on the plate. I was wrong' Malcolm Gladwell

Based on ten years of surveying farming communities around the world, top New York chef Dan Barber's The Third Plate offers a radical new way of thinking about food that will heal the land and taste incredible.

The 'first plate' was a classic meal centred on a large cut of meat with few vegetables. On the 'second plate', championed by the farm-to-table movement, meat is free-range and vegetables are locally sourced. It's better-tasting, and better for the planet, but the second plate's architecture is identical to that of the first. It, too, disrupts ecological balances, causing soil depletion and nutrient loss - it just isn't a sustainable way to farm or eat.

The 'third plate' offers a solution: an integrated system of vegetable, cereal and livestock production that is fully supported - in fact, dictated - by what we choose to cook for dinner.The Third Plate is where good farming and good food intersect.
'Barber is a stylish writer and a funny one, too' New York Times

'Eloquent and thoughtful . . . A must read' Al Gore
'Dan Barber is not only a great chef, he's also a fine writer' Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation