The bestselling authors and vegan chefs Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, better known as BOSH!, show their support for the third year running!

Tell us about your latest cookbook

Our cookbook Speedy BOSH! is packed with the tasty vegan recipes we’re known for, except every recipe can be on your plate in 30 minutes or less. There’s this misconception that vegan food can be a headache to cook so we wanted to tackle that head on.

The speedy element makes it perfect for weeknight dinners after a long day, quick breakfasts to supercharge the family or prepping meals on Sunday for the week ahead. We loved the challenge of the time limit… It made us really creative in the kitchen!

Which is your favourite recipe from your new book and why?

That’s a seriously tricky question! We reckon it’s got to be ‘Henry’s 30-Minute Lasagne’. We’re buzzing that we managed to cook up a lasagne in less than half an hour. There are some sneaky techniques to make it possible and the result is comfort food at its best. It’s got all the incredible depth of flavour you’d expect from a dish that took hours to make.

Why do you think veggie and vegan food is increasing in popularity?

We first launched BOSH! in 2016 and the attitude shift towards veganism has been incredible. Back then, you’d be lucky to have one vegan option in a restaurant. Now you can walk into nearly any chain on the high street and find a range of tasty plant-based options. And that’s because the demand is huge. We’re really proud to have helped make vegan food more mainstream and accessible.

There’s been a huge focus on the environment in the last few years. People are reducing their meat consumption as we’ve learnt it’s one of the best things we can do for our planet. At BOSH!, we’re all about getting more plants on plates, even if that’s just one or two meals a week – it makes a difference.

How often do you cook from scratch and do you ever just fancy a microwave meal?

We’re always in the kitchen whipping up something! Nearly every day is jam-packed with new recipes for our cookbooks or recipe channel (@bosh.tv). We definitely fancy takeaways and treats though – we can’t wait to grab a burger at one of our favourite spots.

What do you think is the most versatile ingredient?

It’s got to be mushrooms! Some of our tastiest and ‘meatiest’ meals are made with them. You can whip up Wild West Wings with oyster mushrooms that taste just like chicken, or blitz up some button mushrooms to create a ‘mince’ for spag bowl. It shows just how fun and creative vegan food can be too.

What would you say to someone on their first steps of their veggie journey?

If giving up meat completely feels unrealistic, why not try just a few veggie or vegan meals a week instead? You might find it easier than you think – as long as you do your recipe research ahead of time. Find dishes that excite you! To us, these choices are all about what is possible and practicable for each individual person.

Which of your recipes would you say is sure to please even your meat-eating friends?

There are so many to pick from! One of the all-time favourites is Sticky Shiitake Mushrooms from our BOSH! cookbook. When we cook it for our meat-eating friends and family, they can’t get enough. We always have people messaging us the same too.

For National Vegetarian Week this year we’re encouraging people to get involved with our Veggie 123 challenge – which two celebs would you nominate to go veggie for the week?

We’ve always thought it’d be a laugh to get Gordon Ramsay over for dinner, so we we’d love to see what recipes he comes up with. Then we’d probably say a celeb like The Rock or Kim Kardashian because it’d be mega to see people with such a huge platform promoting veggie meals. Although, we heard Kim recently tried out plant-based living and was loving it…

What’s the next milestone you’d like to achieve?

From our ITV cookery series ‘Living on the Veg’ to our four bestselling cookbooks and own BOSH! products in shops, we feel incredibly honoured to have had so many opportunities to put veganism on the map. Team BOSH! want to keep growing our brilliant community and proving that vegan food is super tasty, easy and exciting. Watch this space…