BOSH! (book)
{{short description|2018 cookbook}}
{{Infobox book
| name = BOSH!
| image = BOSH! (book).jpg
| alt = BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants.
| caption = Front cover
| author = Henry Firth and Ian Theasby
| subject = {{Plainlist|
}}
| pub_date = 19 April 2018
| publisher = HarperCollins
| pages = 288
| isbn = 9780008262907
}}
BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants. is a 2018 cookbook by the British duo of the same name, known for their vegan recipes.
Background
Henry Firth and Ian Theasby started the Facebook channel "BOSH!" in June 2016, where they published videos of vegan cookery.{{cite web|url=https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/bosh-top-50-uk-cookbooks-300000-copies/|title=BOSH! is officially in the top 50 UK cookbooks of all time after selling 300,000 copies|work=Vegan Food & Living|date=6 July 2020|accessdate=24 December 2022}} The two were school friends from Sheffield;{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/the-bosh-boys-the-vegan-jamie-olivers-30xl7ttq9|title=The Bosh! boys: the vegan Jamie Olivers|work=The Times|last=Rose|first=Hilary|date=31 March 2018|access-date=24 December 2022}} they became vegan in the mid-2010s. Their videos, posted across social media each weekday, were receiving 25{{nbsp}}million views on Facebook per month at the time of the book's release. The duo were inspired by Jamie Oliver and own many of his cookbooks. Firth and Theasby said that their aim with the book was to "put more plants on more plates, whether that’s one day a week or seven days a week". They wanted the recipes to be "easy" and "fuss-free".{{cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/features/bosh-qa-780651|title=BOSH! on bringing plant-based health to your bookshelf|work=The Bookseller|last=Carpenter|first=Caroline|date=2 May 2018|accessdate=24 December 2022}}
Synopsis
BOSH! features 140 vegan recipes. Meals include carbonara, chili, mushroom pie and an alternative to fish and chips; there are also desserts such as brownies and churros, as well as cocktails. Some are grouped by theme, such as "The Big Chinese Takeout", "Spanish Spread" and "A Tex-Mex Style Fiesta". The book is illustrated and nutritional information is provided in a section at the end. Instructions are based on a convection oven.{{cite magazine|title=Nonfiction Reviews|magazine=Publishers Weekly|volume=265|issue=14|year=2018|id={{ProQuest|2019821576}}}}
Publication and sales
It was published by HarperCollins' imprint HQ in the UK, and its imprint William Morrow and Company in the US. The Bookseller reported that eight publishers participated in an auction for the book rights, and the deal made with Firth and Theasby was between £100,000 and £1{{nbsp}}million.{{cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/bosh-cookbook-hq-major-six-figure-deal-543076|title=BOSH! cookbook to HQ in 'major' six-figure deal|work=The Bookseller|last=Onwuemezi|first=Natasha|date=28 April 2017|accessdate=24 December 2022}} The deal was for two books, the second of which – BISH BASH BOSH!: Amazing flavours. Any meal. All plants. – was published in April 2019. HQ employee Joanna Rose commented that visual media such as billboards and social media videos were scheduled mostly between 3{{nbsp}}p.m. and 6{{nbsp}}p.m., when consumers would be most hungry.{{cite magazine|title=Ways to be innovative 4: Breaking new ground may be risky but it brings big rewards for brands and audiences alike. Here's how to do it|magazine=Campaign|last=Unerman|first=Sue|date=12 March 2019|pages=62–63|id={{ProQuest|2564998980}}}}
UK sales reached 350,000 copies in 2018. It was the best-selling vegan cookbook on Nielsen Bookscan and was number one on The Times{{'}}s Bestsellers for four weeks.{{cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/follow-bestselling-vegan-cookery-book-bosh-announced-885031|title='Bosh!' follow-up vegan cookbook from HQ next April|work=The Bookseller|last=Cowdrey|first=Katherine|date=1 November 2018|accessdate=24 December 2022}} By 2020, it was one of the 50 most-sold cookbooks in the UK. Firth and Theasby published several further cookbooks in the following years, along with the book How to Live Vegan, reaching a million sales of their books by January 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bosh-duo-sell-over-million-copies-1298183|title=HQ celebrates one million sales for BOSH! duo Firth and Theasby|work=The Bookseller|last=Bayley|first=Sian|date=6 January 2022|accessdate=24 December 2022}}
Reception
The book won a 2019 British Book Awards in the category "Non-Fiction: Lifestyle Book of the Year".{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/british-book-awards-sally-rooney-s-normal-people-wins-book-of-the-year-1.3890544|title=British Book Awards: Sally Rooney's Normal People wins Book of the Year|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=13 May 2019|accessdate=24 December 2022}} Publishers HQ won the Marketing Strategy of the Year Award. It was awarded Best Vegan Cookbook at the PETA Vegan Food Awards in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.peta.org.uk/living/peta-vegan-food-awards-2018/|title=PETA Vegan Food Awards 2018|publisher=People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals|accessdate=24 December 2022}} VegNews listed it as one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024.{{cite web
|url=https://vegnews.com/cookbooks/best-vegan-cookbooks-3
|title=The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time
|access-date=January 16, 2024
|last=Pointing
|first=Charlotte
|date= January 16, 2024
|work=VegNews
}}
For Library Journal, Lisa Campbell recommended the book as "an excellent choice for established and aspiring vegans who crave meaty flavors and substantial recipes".{{cite journal|title=Cooking|journal=Library Journal|volume=143|issue=9|last=Campbell|first=Lisa|year=2018|id={{ProQuest|2033793171}}}}