Bosh! chefs on how they turned into vegan foodies as they share tasty recipes (2024)

HERE are now 540,000 Brits eating a vegan diet, with loads more doing Veganuary and trying meat-free days.

But whatever your diet, the food on this page will get your taste buds fired up.

Pals Henry Firth and Ian Theasby started making their fantastic vegan meals just three years ago.

But already they can count Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson — a high-profile vegan and animal welfare campaigner — among their army of fans.

The Sheffield pair, who are 35, were once both meat-eaters. But they were inspired to try a vegan diet on “a bit of a whim” after hitting 30 feeling unhealthy, unfit and unhappy.

To their astonishment, within a few months they had lost weight, their skin was clearer and their hair thicker, they were doing better in the gym and even sleeping more soundly.

They never looked back and have spent the past three years learning how to make their favourite foods without animal products.

In June 2016, Bosh! was born. Their recipe videos racked up more than a billion views in a year and their first two cookbooks went to No1.

Their laidback, all-inclusive approach was earned Ian and Henry a reputation as “the meat-free Jamie Olivers” and even “cooking’s answer to Ant & Dec”.

Now they are hosting Britain’s first fully vegan weekend cooking show, on ITV1, beaming their recipes into our homes each Sunday at 9.30am.

Henry says: “We still can’t believe it. We’re just two normal guys from Sheffield who love food.”

Ian adds: “We’ve made it our mission to provide people with as much tasty plant-based food as possible. We have always been honest about our story.

"We haven’t been vegan for ever. My grandad was a farmer and we both grew up on meat-heavy diets. We know what it feels like to change your diet.

“It can be daunting but we’re here to show how easy it can be. The recipes in our book are all meals you will recognise, with a few easy substitutes.

“People don’t want veganism shoved thrown down their throats.

"They want to be told a little bit about it, shown some lovely food and, if they have any questions, you are there to answer them. A softly-softly approach is always best.

“Vegan or not, we just hope you love our recipes.”

And with their list of celebrity fans growing, it is clear people do.

Henry says: “Pamela Anderson slid into our DMs the other day suggesting we do an aphrodisiac plant-based recipe. It’s a pinch yourself moment, so surreal.”

Their third cookbook, Bosh! Healthy Vegan, is out this week, boasting more than 80 delicious recipes to get your mouth watering without your waistline growing.

To celebrate, they have given Sun readers an exclusive first look. Feast your eyes on these delicious Bosh! recipes . . . and come back tomorrow for a second helping.

Saag Paneer

(Serves two)

YOU NEED:

For the tofu paneer:

• 250g firm tofu
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted

For the saag:

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5cm piece fresh ginger (about 15g)
• 2 tomatoes
• 500g fresh spinach leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp soya cream
• Salt and black pepper

To serve:

• 2 shop-bought wholemeal chapatis or roti, or cooked brown ric

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

First, make the paneer. Press the tofu using a tofu press or place it between two clean tea towels, lay it on a plate and put a weight on top. Leave it like this for 30 minutes.

Zest, halve and juice the lemon into a mixing bowl. To this, add the nutritional yeast, miso paste and coconut oil, then mix with a fork to combine.

Cut the pressed tofu into 1.5cm cubes. Tip the cubes into the mixing bowl, toss to coat and leave to marinate for 25 to 30 minutes.

Spread the cubes out on the lined baking tray, put the tray in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden, turning them once, halfway through the cooking time. Now, make the saag. Peel and finely dice the onion. Peel and grate the garlic. Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon, then grate it. Dice the tomatoes and roughly chop the spinach.

Heat the oil in the large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir for 30 seconds. Add the onion and a pinch of salt then cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute. Add the garam masala, turmeric and chilli flakes and stir for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir for 3 to 4 minutes then add the spinach and stir for 2 minutes.

Finally, add the soya cream and stir for 2 minutes until the saag has a creamy consistency.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Take the paneer out of the oven. Place the paneer cubes on the saag and serve immediately with brown rice, wholemeal chapatis or rice.

Bangin' Bolognese

(Serves four)

YOU NEED:

• 1 garlic clove
• 2 onions
• 1 x 400g tin green lentils
• 10g fresh thyme or 5g dried thyme
• 50g walnuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 50ml red wine
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp yeast extract (e.g. Marmite)
• 100ml water
• 320g wholewheat spaghetti
• Salt and black pepper
• 20g vegan hard cheese (optional)
• 10g fresh parsley leaves
• 200g green salad

METHOD: Peel and grate the garlic then peel and finely chop the onions. Drain and rinse the lentils. Pick and roughly chop the thyme leaves. If you are using fresh rather than dried thyme, set aside 1 tsp of the fresh leaves for garnishing. Blitz the walnuts in a food processor until they are coarsely ground.

Now, make the lentil ragu. Heat the olive oil in the large frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onions and a pinch of salt then cook, stirring for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Add the ground walnuts, lentils, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, red wine, chilli flakes, oregano, thyme, balsamic vinegar, yeast extract and water.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the sauce catching. It will look grey at first

but will darken as it cooks. Once the sauce has darkened and thickened considerably, taste and season to perfection with salt and black pepper. While the ragu is simmering, cook your pasta.

Put the saucepan on the hob. Pour boiling water from the kettle into the saucepan. Turn the heat right up. Sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, following the instructions on the packet. Remove a quarter cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta in a colander.

Add the cooked spaghetti and a splash of the pasta water to the ragu in the pan and stir through. Grate the hard cheese (if using) and chop the parsley leaves.

Plate up the spaghetti and the ragu, garnish with parsley (and the thyme, if using fresh leaves) then serve immediately with green salad.

Ultimate Veg Tacos

(Serves four)

YOU NEED:

For the roasted peppers:

• 1 red onion
• 2 orange peppers
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

For the roasted corn:

• 1 x 200g tin sweetcorn in water (no added salt)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tbsp olive oil

For the black beans:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 x 400g tin black beans in water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cumin

For the simple salsa:

• 50g cherry tomatoes
• 1 spring onion
• 5g fresh coriander leaves
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• ½ lime

For the avo’ tang:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime

To serve:

• ½ fresh green chilli
• 2 limes
• 8 small corn tortillas
• 10g fresh coriander leaves

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Peel, halve and cut the red onion into strips 5mm thick.

Halve, core and cut the peppers into 5mm-thick slices. Put the onion and pepper in a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil, add a pinch each of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Spread out on one of the baking trays, put in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain the sweetcorn, pat dry with kitchen paper, then tip into a bowl with the paprika and stir.

Season, then tip the sweetcorn on to a second baking tray, put in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Take both trays out of the oven, drizzle the corn with oil and set aside.

Peel and grate the garlic. Drain the beans, tip into a bowl and mash with a fork. Heat the olive oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the cinnamon and cumin. Add the beans and stir to combine, adding water to loosen. Taste and season.

Quarter the tomatoes. Trim and thinly slice the spring onion. Chop the coriander. Put the chilli powder in a bowl, squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the tomatoes, spring onion and coriander. Set aside.

Halve and stone the avocado, scooping the flesh into a bowl. Halve the lime and squeeze the juice into the avocado. Mash with a fork to a textured cream. Slice the chilli. Cut the limes into wedges. Spoon beans, roasted pepper and onion on to each tortilla. Spoon over avo’ tang and salsa.

Sprinkle with roasted corn, garnish with coriander and chilli, add a squeeze of lime and serve.

BBQ Sloppy Jackets

(Serves two)

YOU NEED:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 300g each)
• Salt and black pepper

For the sloppy joe filling:

• 150g mushrooms
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 celery stick
• 1 large carrot
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the sweet potatoes
• 150g vegan mince
• 1 tsp mustard
• ¼ tsp hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco)
• 40g BBQ sauce (low-sugar shop-bought)
• 1 lime
• 5g fresh parsley

To serve:

• 1 x 40g bag vegetable crisps
• 100g mixed-leaf salad

METHOD: Preheat oven to 200C. Put the sweet potatoes on a baking tray and pierce them a few times with a fork.

Rub the potatoes with a splash of oil and scatter with a pinch of salt. Put the tray in the oven and bake the potatoes for 45 to 50 minutes, until the skin has started to crisp and the flesh is tender.

To make the sloppy joe filling, put the mushrooms in the food processor and blitz to a mince. Peel and dice the red onion then peel and grate the garlic. Trim and thinly slice the celery. Peel and grate the carrot.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the celery and carrot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture and vegan mince then cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent and the mushrooms and vegan mince have softened and browned slightly.

Add the mustard and hot sauce and stir for 1 minute. Add the BBQ sauce and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Carefully slice open the sweet potatoes and gently fluff the flesh with a fork.

Spoon half the filling into each of the potatoes.

Halve the lime and squeeze one half over each potato. Season with salt and pepper then garnish with parsley leaves.

Serve with some vegetable crisps and a small side salad.

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