BOSH! on bringing plant-based health to your bookshelf

School friends and vegan cookery stars Henry Firth and Ian Theasby share their journey from social media success into the world of books. 

What inspired the BOSH! brand?

When we first became vegan three years ago, we found there were two main problems: there wasn’t enough good food, and we had to re-learn how to cook. We both come from a digital background and we wanted to create a channel that showed just how easy and delicious plant-based cooking can be that could be shared with the world. BOSH! was born, and it’s gone from there!

How did the book come about?

As our Facebook videos became more and more popular, the main question we kept being asked was “when is the book coming out?”. The next thing we knew, we were in a competitive bidding war between publishers! The book has been a labour of love—we’ve put a lot of time handpicking recipes for the book to ensure that there’s something for everybody for every single meal.

What is your aim with the cookbook?

We just want to put more plants on more plates, whether that’s one day a week or seven days a week. We’re not about why you should be vegan, we just want to provide easy fuss-free recipes for those who are interested in plant-based cooking. We’d love for our cookbook to be so well-used in homes that the pages are sticking together!

What has the feedback been so far?

Overwhelmingly positive! We are so blown away by people’s kind comments and the amount of photos we’ve received from people cooking our recipes from the book. A lot of people can’t believe some of the dishes in there are vegan, as they’re so indulgent, but also really quick and easy to make. The great thing about our book is that all the ingredients are easily attainable from your local supermarket and every single recipe in there has an image.

What’s next for BOSH!?

We really enjoyed working on this book, so we’d love to do book two very soon. We’re also launching our new YouTube series and continuing to put out new and exciting content every week. Apart from that, we’re excited to see what the future holds!

BOSH! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published by HQ, HarperCollins in hardback priced at £20. Read a recipe from it below:

Mushroom & Guinness pie
Serves 4-6

This take on a pub classic is so, so good. It’s a hug in a dish! The mushroom is rich and meaty and the Guinness adds a dark umami flavour. It’s one for those winter nights after a long day in the cold (or at work!). Serve with minted mushy peas.

Ingredients
700g chestnut mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
4 onions
6 garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus extra to decorate
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp light brown sugar
300ml Guinness or other stout or brown ale
2½ tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1–2 tbsp Dijon mustard
25ml dark soy sauce
1 x 500g block ready-made dairy-free puff pastry
2 tbsp dairy-free margarine
salt and black pepper
 

• Preheat oven to 180°C | Line a baking tray | Large frying pan on a medium heat | 20–22cm deep pie dish | Rolling pin (or use a clean, dry wine bottle) | Pastry brush
• Quarter the mushrooms and spread them over the lined baking tray | Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season lightly and roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes | When they’re ready, remove and set aside, reserving any juices
• Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the frying pan | Peel and slice the onions | Peel and finely chop the garlic | Add to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened | Reduce the temperature to medium-low
• Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme by running your thumb and forefinger from the top to the base of the stems (the leaves should easily come away) and finely chop, discarding the stalks | Add to the pan along with the sugar and cook for 10 more minutes, until the onions are golden
• Pour the ale into the pan, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes so the liquid reduces | Reduce the heat to low and add the mushrooms and any juices in the tray | Add the flour, mustard and soy sauce and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly | Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, mustard or soy sauce if you like | Leave to cool slightly then spoon the mushroom mixture into the pie dish
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry until it is large enough to cover the top of the pie dish | Brush the rim of the dish with water and lay the pastry over the top | Cut off the excess pastry and crimp the edges of the pastry either by pinching it between your finger and thumb all the way round, or by pressing it against the dish with the back of a fork
• Melt the dairy-free margarine in the microwave and brush it all over the pastry | Use a small sharp knife to cut a little cross in the centre of the pastry so that steam can escape | Top with a few rosemary sprigs to make it look fancy | Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown, remove and serve hot