So, baked potatoes have gone viral

And I'm here for it

Screenshot: TikTok

A few days ago, TikTok pushed me a video of a dude called Spudman breaking down the cost of the cheese and bean baked potatoes he sells from his van in the British town of Tamworth.

Why would I watch this video of baked potato costings? Why indeed, have 2.8 million others? And why has this guy got 4.1 million followers, queues for days, and Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman scoffing his spuds?

@spudarmyWhat an amazing night thank you #ryanreynolds #dogpool #deadpool #disney #potato #spudarmy #spudman #jacketpotato #hughjackman

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Spudman’s costing video came at a perfect time. I had just taken my mother to lunch at a café with a great local reputation. But I nearly spat out my artisanal ginger beer when I saw the cost of jacket potatoes (as we call them in the UK). £13 each.

So I watched the video to see if I was missing something. I’ve not lived in the UK for a few years now, and things change. Are potatoes a premium foodstuff now? Are baked beans a rarity? (It turns out no, the café was just a rip-off.)

What I didn’t realise is that I was watching the latest TikTok food trend:

Baked potatoes.

Specifically, British dudes doling out the most revered British street food from their vans. Vans that you’ll see all over our country, serving the public steaming baked potatoes topped with very British toppings, most notably grated cheddar and baked beans.

It’s not just Spudman. There is also The Spud Brothers with — again — 4.1 million TikTok followers and a new London-based restaurant. These guys have got Mr Beast buying from them (or more accurately, promoting his Feastables chocolate bars through the channel, sigh).

The world has gone mad for jacket potatoes. But why?!?

It may seem like “just a trend.” Perhaps something not to think too much about. But TikTok crazes are never as surface-level as they seem. You can’t gain 80 million views on a single video without it speaking to those who watch it.

Or, in the case of many American commenters, watching with fascination and / or confusion about what passes for British cuisine:

To get so popular, you’ve got to get into people’s heads. And jacket potatoes are a perfect way to do it.

I can’t be upset that jacket potatoes are gaining recognition. If you’re a Brit, you will probably have been brought up on them, as I was.

The humble jackpot forms one of my first food memories. My Grandma used to bake them until the skin was crisp then fill them with sharp cheddar cheese. At university, my housemates and I would eat jackets nearly every day for lunch. Our microwave was nicknamed The Laser Beam thanks to its ability to nuke anything into oblivion in a matter of moments (I’m sure it was broken and probably not very safe).

The Laser Beam would do the bulk of the work on a jacket which we finished off in our dodgy gas oven. Once crisp, we’d slice the potato open and fill with butter and the cheapest cheddar cheese and baked beans we could buy.

It was such a comfort. Which, I suspect, is exactly why these videos do so well.

Comfort food is a big trend on social media right now, which is hardly a surprise with what is happening in the world. Uncertainty. The threat of war. Monetary pressures. All-around drudgery.

Who can blame people wanting to revisit nostalgic dishes? Ones that remind them of their childhood, or as Eater puts it:

Who among us doesn’t want to drown their existential horror in a perfectly fluffy Yorkie pudding?

Baked potatoes are also part of a revival of British food on social media. Apparently, our “bland” food is becoming rather popular. Not just jacket potatoes but Sunday roasts and toasties too.

@brittanyhmiller @brittanyhmiller ♬ original sound - Brittany

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I’ve long been a defender of British food. We have some of the best produce in the world (British strawberries, asparagus and peas are revelations) and chefs who know what to do with it.

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But it’s not just about our modern or creative cuisine. Our classics have all the elements of what makes something popular on social media. The obscene size of our Sunday roasts.

The visual appeal of lifting a slice of shepherd’s pie.

The ASMR of deep fried fish and chips.

The eccentricity of deep frying a chip butty.

And yes, the comfort of watching a man dole out cheese and baked beans onto spuds.

So come on friends, tell me. What do you think about British cuisine becoming so popular on social media? What about baked potatoes? Did yours look like mine or something else entirely? Let me know in the comments:

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