‘Not being hungover is a cheatcode’: Why BOSH! went teetotal and doubled down on plants at 40

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 Theasby.

The duo, who launched their hugely successful plant-based food company, BOSH!, almost a decade ago (six cookbooks and counting, plus 1 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 – tons 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. This book is essentially showing people that if you eat plants, and a good variety of them, you can turbo-charge your health and your energy and everything else that comes with it.”

It’s working for them so far. Theasby says he’s feeling “very, very good”, that they’ve both “lost a lot of weight, in a good way,” and their families “are constantly commenting on how they think we look good”. Their energy levels are also “enough to keep two toddlers at bay”.

Alongside all the plants, they’ve slashed sugar and gone teetotal, and Theasby really doesn’t miss the booze. “It was time. Both of us recognised we were enjoying the feeling of waking up fresh more than the feeling of having a couple of drinks in the evening,” he says. “Not being hungover is a cheat code to productivity. You wake up fresher every single morning, which means you’re probably getting exercise done in the morning, which means you feel more energised throughout the day, so you’re more productive.”

As a result, they’re feeling fitter than ever before, too. “Henry’s doing triathlons; I’m running ultra marathons,” says Theasby, “We’re not out to win these things, but to compete in them is very satisfying and keeps you on your toes, health-wise.”

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They both also wear Whoop trackers (“We’re not sponsored by them!”), which monitor health and pace of ageing. Theasby is 41, but Whoop reckons his health is 8.1 years younger than that, and for Firth, his biological age is five years younger than he actually is. “That’s because of prioritising sleep, prioritising the correct food, prioritising exercise and not drinking booze,” says Theasby.

You could argue they’ve gone a little Silicon Valley tech-bro-woo-woo with the longevity focus and time-intensive exercise regimens. They even namecheck controversial billionaire biohacker Bryan Johnson (who infused himself with his 17-year-old son’s plasma in an effort to extend his lifespan) in the book.

“The way I would describe Bryan Johnson is like an army ranger going into unknown territory for the benefit of everybody else. So what he does is, he expands the playing field,” says Theasby. “He might be doing something absolutely mental, like super, super extreme, but he’s just widening the possibility [for the rest of us to learn from].”

He argues Johnson pushes limits with his own body, but tends to end up “highlighting the obvious”, like how vital sleep is, and the benefits of saunas for detoxification, and eating earlier in the day for better digestion.

Eating more plant-based food might be a no-brainer to some, but fitting 30 plants a week into your diet – which is what the BOSH! lads and many other nutritionists, food writers and medical experts are now recommending – can be daunting.

“Thirty plants a week does seem like a lot. However, there are ways and means of hacking the system and getting more plants on your plate,” says Theasby, who recommends chucking a handful of mixed seeds and nuts on your granola in the morning, which, alongside some chopped fruit, sultanas and oats, could get you up to 10 on day one. “You just have to approach it as if it’s not a chore.”

How do they get their toddlers to eat a diet that doesn’t consist solely of baked beans and cucumber sticks? Theasby says his trick is “giving them variety and not making a big thing out of it. It’s almost like, just pop the food down. That’s what we’re having today. It’s not like, ‘What do you want to eat?’ Or, ‘Is this nice?’ It’s just, the food appears in front of them. They look at it and just go, ‘I’ll have a bit of this, I’ll have a bit of that’.”

“My kid is two. Henry’s kid is three. I’m pretty sure we’re not out of the weeds yet. I’m pretty sure there’s rocky patches to come. But for now, we’re – touch wood – in a good place,” he says.

If you’re thinking Theasby is too much a paragon of the perfect diet, he’s still a (dark) chocolate fiend. “Every night, once I’ve eaten my dinner and I’m sitting down to watch some football or whatever, the chocolate comes out,” he says. “I’ll have two or three squares of some nice dark chocolate, delicious, with some nuts and raisins.

“If you put your chocolate and your raisin and your nut in your mouth at the same time, it’s like having a Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut!”

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“A fragrant, feel-good noodle soup with a creamy coconut and basil broth, zingy aromatics, and just-charred long-stem broccoli, then finished with a punchy peanut rayu for extra heat and crunch,” say Theasby and Firth. “It’s comforting, nourishing, and full of vibrant, slurp-able goodness.”

Sevres: 2

Per portion: 7 plant points | 37g protein | 1,310 kcal

Ingredients:

4 banana shallots

4 garlic cloves

5cm piece of fresh ginger

400g can coconut milk

70g basil (or Thai basil)

2 tbsp neutral oil of your choice

750ml vegetable stock

150g long-stem broccoli

200g dried ramen noodles, preferably wholewheat sesame seeds, to serve

For the spicy peanut rayu:

1 lime

100g roasted unsalted peanuts

2 tbsp crispy chilli oil

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Generous pinch of sugar

Sea salt

Method:

1. Before you start: you will need a high-speed blender, a large saucepan, a medium frying pan (or wok), and a medium saucepan.

2. Prep ingredients. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger. Blend the coconut milk with the basil until smooth and set aside.

3. Make broth. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and ginger and cook for six to seven minutes, until golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove half of the shallot mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Pour the stock into the pan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and keep the broth on a gentle simmer, topping up with a splash of water, if needed, while you continue with the rest of the recipe.

4. Make peanut rayu. Juice half the lime and cut the other half into wedges. Roughly chop the peanuts. Add the crispy chilli oil, soy sauce, and peanuts to the reserved fried shallot mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning with sugar, salt, and the lime juice. Set aside.

5. Cook broccoli. Heat the remaining one tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan over a high heat. Add the broccoli with a pinch of salt and stir-fry for two to three minutes, until tender and slightly charred in places. Keep warm.

6. Cook noodles. Meanwhile, cook the noodles following the instructions on the packet, then drain.

7. Assemble and serve. Divide the coconut basil mixture between your serving bowls, then pour in the hot broth. Add the cooked noodles and top with the charred broccoli. Drizzle generously with the peanut rayu and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

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“Super-smoky and satisfyingly spicy, these tacos have the real wow-factor,” say Theasby and Firth. “Meaty mushrooms, refreshing salsa, and silky drizzle will have you wishing it was Taco Tuesday everyday.”

Serves: 2

Per portion: 7 plant points | 29g protein | 781 kcal

Ingredients:

For the pulled mushrooms:

600g oyster mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp cayenne pepper (you can increase amount to 1-2 tsp, depending on spice preference)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

1 tbsp hot (or sweet) smoked paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp maple (or agave) syrup

3 tbsp nooch (aka nutritional yeast)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa:

2 large tomatoes

½ red onion

1 green jalapeño chilli

2 ripe peaches

1 handful of coriander

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice, plus extra, if needed

To serve:

6 soft corn tortillas

Fresh Green Drizzle (see below), optional

1 lime

Method:

1. Before you start: you will need a small frying pan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper (if using the oven). Preheat your air fryer to 180C (350F) or oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6).

2. Prep mushrooms. Using your fingers, pull the oyster mushrooms into one centimetre-long strips. Mix together the oil and all the seasonings in a large bowl to make a marinade. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the pulled mushrooms and toss them in the marinade until well coated.

3. Cook mushrooms. Put the marinated mushrooms into the preheated air fryer and cook for 10-12 minutes, tossing them halfway through, until golden and slightly charred at the edges. (Alternatively, cook in the preheated oven on a lined baking tray for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.)

4. Make salsa. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes and finely chop the onion, jalapeño, and coriander leaves and stalks (saving some of the leaves to garnish). De-stone the peaches and finely chop the fruit. Add all the salsa ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired.

5. Warm tortillas. Warm the tortillas, one at a time, in a dry frying pan over a high heat (or you can use a microwave). Continue to warm the rest of the tortillas, stacking them under a clean tea towel to keep them warm and soft until ready to assemble the tacos.

6. Assemble and serve. Serve family-style letting everyone help themselves or spoon your mushrooms onto the warm tortillas and add a spoonful or two of the salsa on top of each. Finish with the green drizzle, if using, a wedge of lime, and the reserved coriander.

Makes: 1 medium squeezy bottle

Per bottle: 2.75 plant points | 51g protein | 453 kcal

Ingredients:

1 lime, plus extra, if needed

25g bunch of mint

25g bunch of coriander

300g silken tofu

Pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to season

Method:

1. Before you start: you will need a high-speed blender and a medium squeezy bottle (or jar).

2. Prep drizzle. Juice the lime. Pick the mint and coriander leaves from the stalks.

3. Blend drizzle. Add the lime juice, mint and coriander leaves, the silken tofu, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, and lime juice, if needed.

4. Store. Transfer the drizzle to a squeezy bottle and store in the fridge for up to five to seven days. Shake well before use.

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“Brownies with benefits. These rich, fudgy bites are packed with protein and fibre,” say Ian Theasby and Henry Firth, the masterminds behind plant-based food revolution BOSH!. “Their plain chocolatey flavour is lifted by warming ginger and bursts of juicy blackberry. Curious, but undeniably delicious.”

Makes: 16

Per portion: 4.25 plant points | 3.5g protein | 172 kcal

Ingredients:

110g crystallised ginger

100g 70% plain chocolate

90g rolled oats

Large pinch of sea salt

45g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

400g can black beans

240ml plant-based milk

5 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing

100g maple (or agave) syrup

1 tbsp vanilla extract

75g blackberries

Method:

1. Before you start: you will need a high-speed blender. Line the base of a 20-centimetre square brownie tin with baking paper, and grease the sides. Preheat your oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6).

2. Prep dry ingredients. Finely chop the crystallised ginger. Roughly chop the chocolate. Add the oats to a blender and blitz to a powder. Tip the blitzed oats into a large mixing bowl. Sift the salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder into the bowl with the blitzed oats. Add in two-thirds of the crystallised ginger and all the chocolate.

3. Blend. Drain the black beans, rinse under cold running water, then drain again. Put the black beans, plant-based milk, coconut oil, syrup, and vanilla extract into the blender and blend to a smooth, runny consistency.

4. Make cake batter. Add the blended black bean mixture to the oat mixture in the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Gently tip the brownie mixture into the prepared brownie tin, spread out evenly, and scatter the remaining ginger over. Gently press the blackberries evenly over the top.

5. Bake. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just set but still a little gooey in the middle. Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

6. Serve and store. Enjoy straightaway or the brownies will keep for up to four days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, wrap individually and freeze in a freezerproof container for up to three months.

‘BOSH! More Plants: 30-Minute Plant-Based Meals’ by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (DK, £22).