Fuel for the Long Run: Jeffrey Boadi on Purposeful, Plant-Based Cooking

For Jeffrey Boadi, nutrition doesn’t need to be extreme to be effective. As the author of Plant Fuel and a leading voice in evidence-informed health, his work is rooted in making nourishment simpler, more flexible, and easier to sustain, designed for modern life, not rigid rules.

In partnership with Treehouse Hotel London, three recipes from Plant Fuel found a home on the menu at The Nest last month, bringing Jeffrey’s plant-forward philosophy to the table. From his approach to recipe development to the everyday habits that support long-term energy and strength, we spoke with Jeffrey about the journey behind his first cookbook, the dishes that best capture his ethos, and what it means to see those ideas come to life in a space designed for connection, conversation, and lingering.

Shaped by lived experience, from his early days as a professional footballer to nearly a decade of plant-based cooking, Jeffrey’s approach is grounded, practical, and refreshingly human.

From Page to Plate with Jeffrey Boadi, Author of Plant Fuel

You’ve just launched Plant Fuel, a cookbook shaped by years of hands-on cooking and curiosity. How does it feel to see it out in the world now, especially as those ideas come to life here at Treehouse London?

It feels surreal to be honest. I think the most interesting thing about it all is that I never started out with the idea of writing a cookbook. It was borne through curiosity about a new way of eating, and wanting to communicate my experience and learning with others through simple, nutritious recipes and daily habits. Seeing this now on a wider scale has been a real pleasure but at its core, my fundamentals remain the same - to encourage people to explore a way of nutrition that will nourish them, and fit into their daily lives.

The book took shape gradually, through trial, error, and a lot of persistence. Were there moments along the way that tested your confidence, and what helped you stay connected to the process?

To be honest I didn’t realise the true nature of writing a book. It is an arduous process, to say the least. I think the recipe testing was a challenge at the start - 80 recipes seemed a huge amount! But shifting them into buckets - breakfasts, power bowls, smoothies etc - helped to compartmentalise it and give me the confidence to know that I could flesh those sections out in the best possible way. And ultimately what helped me stay connected was the passion I have, and knowing that whatever I was going to create was done so with the view to positively impacting people’s health.

Before it became a book, Plant Fuel was a personal way of cooking and thinking about food. Are there any recipes in the book that feel especially close to you, and why?

Beyond the nutrition element and how I think about food, I wanted the recipes in Plant Fuel to also be practical, and simple to cook. We all live busy lives, and incorporating complex recipes and techniques just didn’t sit right with me in the context of modern life. So with that being said, the Gochujang Tofu Stir Fry really reflects my ethos; simple to make, affordable, nutritious, tastes great - and comes together in less than 20 minutes. The soups and smoothies also reflect a state of simplicity and ease that contribute to good health.

A few dishes and drinks from Plant Fuel have found a new home on the menu at The Nest. How did you approach translating those recipes from page to plate, especially for a space designed for lingering, conversation, and settling in?

I wanted recipes that had a sense of excitement about them. There’s been some amazing feedback on the Golden Recovery Smoothie which is such an explosion of flavour and nutrition. Soups are always warming and nourishing, with a quiet excellence about them, and I felt the roasted squash and red lentil soup was a perfect fit. Food that also looks great was also going to be a perfect fit for somewhere as aesthetically pleasing as The Nest, so my stuffed sweet potato and tofu skewers were naturally going to align - they’re colourful, full of flavour and matched the ambience perfectly.

Now that your new cookbook is out in the world and living beyond the page, what are you most excited to explore next in your cooking?

I just want to keep the momentum going. I’ve been plant-based for nearly 9 years now and I want everyone, not just plant-based eaters, to appreciate the transformative capacity of this way of eating. So I will continue to share recipes that lend well to good health and that come from a place of simplicity, and through various mediums, and encouraging people to find space in their own lives to get creative in the kitchen, and reap the benefits from it.