Wicked Healthy Interview Series | Henry Firth And Ian Theasby: Creators Of Bosh!

April 13, 2018
Wicked
News

Our Wicked Healthy Interview Series features individuals who are making a big impact in the plant-based world and beyond. Today we’re featuring Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, creators of the popular BOSH! channel on YouTube and authors of BOSH!: Simple Recipes * Amazing Food * All Plants, to be released April 19 in the UK and May 1 in the US.

Henry Firth and Ian Theasby: Creators of BOSH!

Eat more plants! is the message behind each carefully crafted and fun cooking video created by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, the British-based duo behind the wildly successful BOSH! Cooking series on Youtube. After launching their 100% plant-based + vegan cooking channel in June 2016, BOSH! Has become one of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing plant-based platforms with a wicked massive following that’s regularly tuning in to see what they’ll create next.

Their approach is centered around creating simple food that anyone can make, with a heavy dose of creativity and massive flavors to convince anyone that vegan or plant-based food is anything but boring. BOSH! will be releasing a cookbook this spring with more than 100 recipes that are reflective of their approach to food: fun, unpretentious and hearty+delicious.

BOSH!: Simple Recipes * Amazing Food * All Plants

We had the chance to cook and shoot with the BOSH! boys earlier this year and last year … check it out!

We freakin’ love what they’re doing and so we were excited for the chance to sit down with Henry and Ian for a bit to chat a little more about how BOSH! got started, what fans can expect in their new cookbook (plus a sneak peek of one of the recipes inside for their Mushroom & Guinness Pie) and share some of our favorite videos from the BOSH! collection!

Congrats on your upcoming cookbook, which releases in May in the US and April in the UK. Can you give us a taste of some of the things we can expect to see inside? Were there any specific kinds of challenges and freedoms that came from switching from your usual video format to print?

Ian: There’s something for everyone in our book – from hearty family favourites, like our Ultimate Chilli and Spaghetti Bolognese, to some more adventurous dishes like our Mezze Cake (a Turkish Mezze platter in cake form!) and of course not forgetting our super indulgent desserts (the PBJ brownie is our go-to).

Henry: In terms of switching from video format to print, we’re always creating new recipes and thinking of new ideas so it was really cool to see those in print as well as online. We were lucky enough to go to Italy to see the first copies of the book being printed and that was a really special moment for us, as we have the potenital to reach a whole new audience with our book and offer fans of our channels some exciting recipes.

How did you meet and initially decide to collaborate? How do your backgrounds play into the creation and ongoing development of BOSH!?

Ian: Henry and I go way back! We met at secondary school in Sheffield and have been friends ever since. Our background is mainly digital and when I first went vegan in 2015, Henry and I were living together at the time. Not long after I went vegan, we watched Cowspiracy together and Henry pretty much went vegan overnight. The main two problems we faced once we decided to lead a plant-based lifestyle was relearning how to cook and the lack of information available to us. We decided to take our digital background and love of food to teach the world how to cook, BOSH! was born!

What do you attribute to your success and what advice would you offer to other aspiring YouTubers or those who just want to cook great plant-based food?

Henry: I think our success is hugely down to dedication and consistency. All our recipes and tried and tested dozens of times, so we know that every recipe we put out there is of great quality and that anyone can cook it. Social media has also played a massive part in our success, our first recipe on Facebook had 3.5 million views in the first week and our following just keeps on growing.

Is there any significance or story behind the name BOSH!?

Ian: We wanted a name that sums up what our videos are about – quick, simple and delicious food. Bish, bash, BOSH!

Are there any plans for a book tour? Where are some of the places you’ll be visiting?

Henry: We’ll be doing lots of promo around the book, we’ll be heading out across the UK and US doing book signings and interviews. We’re also really excited to be appearing at food events and festivals. Check out dates on our website and come say hi!

What’s next for BOSH!?

Ian: We really loved working on our book, so we’re hoping to do book two very soon. Apart from that, we’re just concentrating on putting out new and exciting content every week and looking forward to what the future holds!

Tell us your favorite Wicked Healthy dish or favorite thing to make in the kitchen.

Henry: The Wicked Pulled Pork Sandwich we cooked with Derek for our channel was absolutely lush. We really love the way both Chad and Derek approach food, they’re both incredibly innovative. The positive impact they’re having on the plant-based movement is huge.

MUSHROOM & GUINNESS PIE

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

Instructions

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