Book Review: Bish, Bash, Bosh!

Bosh are an internet sensation, but does their new cook book ‘Bish, Bash, Bosh!’ stand up to all the hype?

I’m a keen cook but your fairly typical human; I like good food that’s ready in a jiffy and isn’t a faff to make.  Having never tried a Bosh recipe (I know, shocker!) I want to know if their recipes are the everyday gems that they appear to be from social media.

The question is – will it be worth shelling out your hard earned cash for?

The book has been read, a selection of recipes tried and tested, and so without further ado, here is my comprehensive and independent review of Bish, Bash, Bosh! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby.

Overview

The Bish Bash Bosh! cook book comes in a masculine design with clear, punchy colours and pictures.  It has over 140 new recipes in a wide variety of cuisines – Asian, English, American, Indian, Mexican, Greek and Italian.

The book is sectioned into Quick, Big, Feasts, Sides and Starters, Greens, Desserts and Breakfasts.  Recipes include Cheeseburger Dough Balls, Seaside Roll, Kebabish Tandoori Special and Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes to name just a few.

What skill level is it targeted at ?

There is something for everyone, from new to long term vegans with a variety of skill levels.  There doesn’t appear to be anything hugely complex.

What do I like the most ?

There is a photo of every dish, which is so refreshing!  I never end up making recipes that don’t have a photo with them, which is so wasteful but we do eat with our eyes so it’s not surprising.

At the start of each section Henry and Ian have both identified their favourite recipe from the section, which I think is a nice touch.

At the beginning of the book there is a section that serves as an introduction for new vegans and those wishing to experiment more now they are gaining confidence with cooking as a vegan (e.g. using jackfruit, seitan and aquafaba).

What would I change ?

I can see the logic behind each of the sections but I’m a bit of a traditionalist so would prefer a Breakfast, Lunches, Dinner kind of a split.

Ingredient quantities could be slightly more thoughtful in places to avoid waste although I appreciate this is very hard given the variety of package sizes.

On to the recipes…

Banana bread doughnuts

First impressions?  These baked banana bread doughnuts look fantastic and right up my street!  They’ve got a white water icing on top with a sprinkling of nuts and chocolate.  The recipe looks to be straight forward and succinct.

How complex was the recipe?  The doughnuts took about 10 minutes to mix and get in the oven and they were very easy to make.  The recipe had quite a few ingredients and a couple of unnecessary steps in my opinion such as using a food processor to mash the bananas – I just used the back of a fork.

How did it taste?  They were sweet, moist and so moreish!  They were gone in 10 minutes flat and were loved by both vegans and non vegans.

What would I change?  They were fab so nothing major, I’d just make a couple of tweaks:

• They rose a bit so I’d fill the doughnut moulds to 3/4 full instead of to the top for a neater finish.
• There were too many toppings so I’d reduce these by 25%.
• I added more water to the icing but this was a mistake and made it too runny so stick to the recipe here!
• For personal preference I’d add pecans or walnuts into the batter for crunch.

What is this recipe good for?  The perfect quick and easy treat to whip up before friends come around – they take no time to make and there is very little washing up #winner

Rating out of 10? 8.5/10 – Completely delicious and so easy.

Shepherd’s Pie

First impressions?  The recipe looks quite imposing due to a long ingredients list and an even longer list of instructions!  I’d prefer it if the veg prep was in the ingredients list (e.g. one red pepper, finely sliced) because I like to prep all of the ingredients before I start.

How complex was the recipe?  It was a bit of a faff due to the number of ingredients but it makes four big portions so it’s great for meal prep, which makes up for it.

How did it taste?  Divine!  It’s the nicest shepherd’s pie I’ve tried with delicious, rich and powerful flavours.  It is the ultimate comfort food and the mix of puy lentils and mushrooms gave a thick texture and meaty flavour.  I’d recommend roughing up or piping the mash like they say to get those nice crispy bits in the oven.

What would I change?  I’d simplify the recipe to make it less intimidating by using bullet points and putting the veg prep in the ingredients list.

The ingredient qualities could have been more thoughtful to avoid waste – for example the recipe calls for 250ml of wine but small bottles are 175ml so you end up with an odd amount left from two small bottles.  Not an issue if you drink wine but I don’t so it went to waste.  The recipe also calls for 400g pre-cooked puy lentils and one of the most popular brands comes in packs of 250g, again leaving a small amount from the two packs you need unless you can find them in a 400g tin of course.

What is this recipe good for?  This is the perfect meal to prep for the week ahead or for family meals.

Rating out of 10?  8.5/10 – The ultimate comfort food with deep flavours.  I’ve made this again and again!

Singapore Fried Vermicelli

First impressions?  The dish looks very inviting with lots of colourful veggies and is described as one of Ian and Henry’s favourite ever noodle dishes.

How complex was the recipe?  Unfortunately there were too many ingredients for a standard sized wok.  It was easy to make but hard to cook for this reason, because stirring it ended up causing a bit of a mess on the cooker top.

How did it taste?  In my personal opinion, there were too many noodles and not enough vegetables or sauce.  It was a light meal but just too plain for me and it didn’t look like the picture, which showed a better veggie to noodle ratio.

What would I change?  More veggies, more sauce, fewer noodles!

What is this recipe good for?  With the correct ratios it could be a good weeknight meal.

Rating out of 10?  5/10 – It wasn’t unpleasant, just a bit plain for me so I wouldn’t make it again unless I upped the sauce and veggie amount and lowered the amount of noodles.

Summary

A fantastic all rounder that is packed full of a variety of dishes. Nothing seems too complex and there is plenty to inspire you to get in the kitchen.  Two out of the three dishes that I tried out were absolutely cracking and I’ve made them several times since.

I think this is such a good book – whether you are a new vegan, have experience of vegan cooking or are just looking to eat less meat and more veg there will be something for you.

If you try the book let me know what your favourite recipes are so I can try them too! Leave me a comment below or head on over to my Instagram @aveganvisit and get in touch there, I’d love to hear from you.

If you want to see the recipes in all their glory, check out my review of the book on YouTube:

This is an honest review and not a sponsored post or using a gifted item. If there are any other vegan cook books or products that you’d like me to review, just send me an email (I don’t need much persuading!).