Plant power

BOSH! masterminds Ian Theasby and Henry Firth are back with more plant-based dishes that won't make you miss meat.

- By ELLA WALKER

TURNING 40 can be a shock to the system. For childhood friends and business partners Ian Theasby and Henry Firth, the big 4-0 triggered a whole “new philosophy”.

“We both looked at ourselves in the mirror and recognised the fact that yes, we had been eating lots of plant-based food, but maybe we hadn’t really been doing it as well as we probably could have. We were maybe eating a little bit too much sugar. We were both drinking alcohol. We both weren't prioritising sleep and rest,” says Sheffield-born Ian.

The duo, who launched their hugely successful plant-based food company, BOSH!, almost a decade ago (six cookbooks and counting, one million Instagram followers), also became fathers around the same time.

“When a child comes into the equation, you are reminded that you want to be there for as long as possible for them, and the best way to do that is to give yourself a fighting chance at real longevity.”

And so, their new philosophy emerged: more plants - tonnes more of them. Hence the title of their new recipe collection, BOSH! More Plants. “We think eating more plants is the best way for people to maximise and optimise their health.”

It's working for them so far. Ian says he's feeling “very, very good”, that they've both “lost a lot of weight, in a good way. Their energy levels are also “enough to keep two toddlers at bay”.