Material library
Every material we've tested, in one place.
The library holds 80 materials across 31 properties, each tagged for what it does and how to find it. Filter by category or property, then see which recipes it can fill in.
80 materials
Coffee grounds
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Used tea leaves
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Eggshells
★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Banana peel
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Orange peel
★★★★★Kitchen waste
High · Autumn-winter (peak UK)
Lemon peel
★★★★★Kitchen waste
High · Year-round
Apple peel and cores
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Late summer-autumn
Apple pomace
★★★★★Kitchen waste
High · Autumn
Potato peel
★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Onion skins
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Avocado pit
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Medium · Year-round
Avocado skin
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Medium · Year-round
Nutshells (walnut, hazel)
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Medium · Autumn
Walnut husk (green)
★★★★★Garden or foraged
Low (specific) · Late summer
Stale bread
★Kitchen waste
Very high · Year-round
Fruit stones (plum, cherry)
★★★★★Kitchen waste
Medium · Late summer
Bone (for gelatine)
Kitchen waste
High (meat-eating household) · Year-round
Gelatine powder or sheet
Pantry / purchased
High (supermarket) · Year-round
Agar agar
Pantry / purchased
High (health shops, Asian grocers) · Year-round
Glycerine (vegetable)
Pantry / purchased
High (chemists, baking aisle) · Year-round
Cornstarch (cornflour)
★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Potato starch
★Pantry / purchased
Medium (specialist) · Year-round
Tapioca starch
★Pantry / purchased
Medium · Year-round
Plain flour
★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Rice flour
★Pantry / purchased
Medium · Year-round
Table salt
Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
White vinegar
★★★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Lemon juice
★★★★Pantry / purchased
High · Year-round
Citric acid
★★★★Pantry / purchased
Medium (baking aisle) · Year-round
Baking soda (bicarbonate)
★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Washing soda
★★Pantry / purchased
Medium · Year-round
Sugar (granulated)
Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Honey
Pantry / purchased
High · Year-round
Whole milk
★★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Yogurt
★★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Aquafaba (chickpea water)
Pantry / purchased
High · Year-round
Linseed (flaxseed)
★★★Pantry / purchased
Medium · Year-round
Linseed oil
★★★Pantry / purchased
Medium (hardware, health shop) · Year-round
Olive oil
★★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Beeswax
Pantry / purchased
High (craft shops) · Year-round
Soy wax
Pantry / purchased
High (candle-making) · Year-round
Turmeric powder
★★★★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Year-round
Red cabbage
★★★★★Pantry / purchased
Very high · Autumn-winter
Sticky rice
★★★Pantry / purchased
Medium (Asian grocer) · Year-round
Grass cuttings
★★Garden
Very high · Spring-autumn
Nettle leaves
★★★★★Foraged wild
Very high · Spring-summer
Nettle stems
★Foraged wild
Very high · Late summer
Bramble (blackberry) stems
★★Foraged wild
Very high · Autumn
Pine needles
★★★★★Foraged wild
Very high · Year-round, best autumn
Pine cones
★★★★★Foraged wild
Very high · Autumn
Pine resin
★Foraged wild
Medium · Warm months
Bark (birch, willow, oak)
★★★★★Foraged wild
High (fallen only) · Year-round
Oak galls
★★Foraged wild
Medium · Autumn
Sawdust
★★★★★Workshop / garden
High (carpenters, joineries, hardware) · Year-round
Wood shavings
★★★Workshop / garden
High · Year-round
Fallen leaves (autumn)
★★★★★Garden / foraged
Very high · Autumn
Acorns
★★★★Foraged wild
High · Autumn
Horse chestnuts (conkers)
★★★★Foraged wild
Very high · Autumn
Wood ash
★★Garden / fire
Medium · Year-round (winter fires)
Charcoal (lump)
★★★★★Garden / fire
High · Year-round
Dandelion flowers/leaves
★★★★★Garden
Very high · Spring
Rose petals
★★★★★Garden
High · Summer
Elderberries
★★★★★Foraged wild
High · Late summer-autumn
Clay soil (dug)
★★Garden / site
Variable · Year-round
Chalk
★★Foraged / purchased
Medium (landscape) · Year-round
Kelp (brown)
★Coastal
Medium · Year-round
Bladderwrack
★Coastal
Medium · Year-round
Irish moss (carrageen)
Coastal
Low-medium · Year-round
Mussel shells
★★Coastal / kitchen waste
High · Year-round
Oyster shells
★★Coastal / kitchen waste
Medium · Year-round
Cuttlefish bone
★★Coastal
High (beachcombing) · Year-round
Beach sand
★★Coastal
Very high · Year-round
Prawn shells
★★★Kitchen waste
Medium · Year-round
Kombucha SCOBY
★Home-grown
Starts from one culture · Year-round
Cotton rag / lint
★Home waste
Very high · Year-round
Waste paper
★★★★★Home waste
Very high · Year-round
Okra
Pantry / garden
Medium · Summer
Chia seeds
Pantry / purchased
High · Year-round
Sodium alginate
★Specialist / purchased
Medium (art suppliers) · Year-round
Iron sulphate (ferrous)
★★Specialist / purchased
Medium (garden centres, craft) · Year-round