Plants on plates

This article first appeared in our World Environment Day issue of My Green Pod Magazine, published 05 June 2024. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox

Main image: Henry Firth (left) and Ian Theasby are on a mission to get more ‘plants on plates’

Plant-based pioneers and chefs Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, childhood friends from Sheffield, joined forces to create BOSH! back in 2016, united by a mission to ‘get plants on plates’.

‘Our main aim was, and still is, to share our passion for plant-based cooking and do our best to make it more accessible to a wider audience’, Henry shares. ‘For us, plant-based eating has so many benefits – whether for health, the environment or ethical reasons – and we want to demonstrate that plant-based cooking can be exciting, flavoursome and absolutely delicious.’

‘For us it’s about inspiring positive change in the way people eat and being more mindful about what we put in our bodies and doing better for the planet and our environment’, Ian adds. ‘We have made it our life’s mission to show people how to make delicious plant-based recipes and incorporate a more plant-based approach into their daily lives, as often as they choose.’

The approach has made waves on social media and in bookshops; with vibrant plant-based recipes and an innovative, forward-thinking outlook, BOSH! has sold over 1 million cookbooks and has products in major supermarkets around the world.

Plant-based eating

Ian and Henry both used to eat meat every week, and switched to plant-based diets in 2015. ‘My decision was off the back of a challenge’, Ian explains. ‘I wanted to see if I could go veggie for the month of February, and I started doing a lot of reading about vegetarianism. That led me to a fully plant-based diet; it sounded quite interesting as a concept, so I gave it a whirl.’

After a month on plant-based food, Ian noticed he was losing weight and his hair was getting thicker. ‘I thought it’s probably a really good thing for the environment as well’, he tells us. ‘That’s when Henry and I watched Cowspiracy, and he went vegan, too.’

For Henry it was all about the planet; he was desperate to find something that was going to help fight climate change but admits he ‘wasn’t particularly inspired’ by Ian’s venture at first.

‘The minute I discovered it was genuinely a better option for the planet, I went plant-based overnight’, he says. ‘Whether you come at it from health, sustainability or animals, you quickly start to get interested in all the other reasons as well.’

Accessible recipes

Ian and Henry have a track record for veganising traditional meals, crowdpleasers and family favourites – from burgers to Bakewells – but they accept there is a lot of nervousness around plant-based eating.

‘There’s an idea that you have to be a fantastic cook in order to make plant-based dishes’, Henry says. ‘That’s why with BOSH! we offer incredible meals that are easy to follow, quick to make and absolutely delicious, without breaking the bank or requiring hours of cooking time.’

‘We have made it our mission to make plant-based food totally accessible to everyone – regardless of your time or financial status’, Ian adds. ‘We have such an amazing range of recipes – some quick and easy and some more complicated – so we can cater to everyone’s needs. We don’t want to overcomplicate things so anything that is simple to follow, quick to make and includes delicious flavours is perfect for us.’

The easy option

Today it’s easier than ever to follow a plant-based diet; food options are increasingly visible in shops and restaurants, making it incredibly convenient to incorporate them into daily life.

‘We’ve got a new range of delicious food that will be landing in hospitality locations all over the country in the very near future’, Henry shares. ‘We’ve also been working on a new series of long-form content that will be launching on our YouTube channel at the start of the summer.’

Thanks to digital recipes, tutorials and social media – alongside a dramatic increase in awareness over recent years – plant-based alternatives have now become easy for everyone.

Below are two simple summer favourites from BOSH! – any they’re perfect for any budget or level of expertise.

GREEN SHAKSHUKA

From BOSH! Healthy Vegan / Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 leek
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans in water
• 10g fresh mint leaves
• 10g fresh parsley leaves
• 10g fresh dill
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200g frozen peas
• 200g fresh spinach leaves
• 50g plant-based yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp za’atar
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 slices crusty wholemeal bread, to serve

 
Before you start

Fine grater or microplane; 1 large frying pan.
 
Method

First, prep your ingredients. Trim and thinly slice the leek. Peel and grate the garlic. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans. Roughly chop the mint, parsley and dill. Halve and carefully stone the avocado by tapping the stone firmly with the heel of a knife so that it lodges in the pit, then twist and remove. Scoop out and slice the avocado flesh.

Now, start cooking. Heat the olive oil in the large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the leek and stir for 5 minutes, until softened. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and stir for a further minute. Add the beans and peas and stir for 2 minutes. Add the spinach, one handful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each batch of spinach to wilt down before adding the next.

Time to plate up. When all the spinach has wilted and the peas are thoroughly defrosted and cooked through, take the pan off the heat, stir through the mint, parsley and dill and season to perfection with salt and pepper.

Top with the yoghurt, za’atar and the sliced avocado, and serve with crusty wholemeal bread.