A captivated audience of non-committal flexitarians, self-proclaimed 'failed vegans' and those proudly raising their children vegan gathered at Warwick Arts Centre to listen to plant-based chefs Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, creators of BOSH! – the world’s biggest vegan brand. Their talk was a thought-provoking journey into the transformative impact of 'putting more plants on plates'.

The brains behind five Sunday Times Bestselling cookbooks and a brand with a staggering 26 million monthly social media views, shared their personal motivations for living a low-carbon lifestyle through the foods they choose to eat.

When the school friends first watched documentaries such as Earthlings (2005) and Cowspiracy (2014) in horror, our supermarkets and restaurants were a very different place. Plant-based milks were relegated to health food shops and reducing your consumption of animal products directly correlated with a newfound reliance on Linda McCartney sausages.

Their vegan journey took winding turns; the duo shared anecdotes of experimenting with sloppy, deep-fried guacamole onion rings before thankfully discovering the magic of blitzed mushrooms.

Armed with their newfound skills, they have masterfully contributed to shifting our dietary landscape through widening the availability of delicious, nutritious, and affordable plant-based meals, critically giving us the choice to eat more plants.

Insightfully unpacking the critiques of veganism, they delved into the forces of carbon-labelling, the power of the consumer pound and the business-sense of vegan products as inclusive products. Ultimately, they highlighted how we really need everybody acting imperfectly, not a small minority acting perfectly.

Huge thanks to Warwick Arts Centre for hosting a memorable and engaging talk, we look forward to learning about BOSH!'s mysterious plans for Veganuary and having them back on campus in the future!

Written by Victoria Higgs