The jacket potato invasion: How the likes of Spudman and Spud Bros reignited Britain's love affair with the humble tater
SOURCE:Daily Mail
Britain is in the midst of a jacket potato revolution, with Waitrose noting a 178 per cent increase in a search on its website for the spud, thanks to viral sensations Spudman and Spud Bros.
Ben Newman still wakes up every morning and pinches himself to make sure it's all real.
In the last few years, he has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood A-listers and even recently met the Queen. Quite something for a man who simply sells £5 jacket potatoes from a trailer.
The father of nine, 40, is better known for his pink mohawk and moniker Spudman than his real name.
The son of a potato merchant, Ben never dreamed as an 18-year-old when he bought a trailer with his grandmother's inheritance that he would become the country's most famous spud seller.
For that, he has his son, Dylan (Little Spud), to thank. With the country just coming out of the depths of the first Covid lockdown, it was the youngster who suggested to his father that he should start using TikTok.
Ben got his first viral hit on his third post: a video of him 'making a potato', he tells me, attracted half a million views.
It has snowballed to today, where he boasts a 4.2 million following, with people from all corners of the globe jumping on jets with the sole purpose of heading to Tamworth to get a photo with the viral sensation.
Ben's heartwarming moments have also captured the hearts of millions of fans, although he is at pains to stress he doesn't do it for the publicity.
He randomly gives away baked potatoes to customers old and young, and has held a 'free day' to raise money for Kidney Research UK. Recently, he announced that anyone aged over 70 would not be charged for a baked potato this December.
They recently launched Christmas charity single Brighter Than The Night with Line of Duty star Vicky McClure's Dementia Choir.
Coincidence or not, it is putting the jacket potato back on families' dinner plates in Britain.
Spudman, whose real name is Ben Newman, has become Britain's most famous spud seller in recent years thanks to TikTok
He is not the only one to find spud-selling fame. Spud Bros - siblings Jacob and Henry Nelson (pictured) - have also attracted their own multi-million following
Posh nosh sellers Waitrose recently noted how searches for 'jacket potato' on its website had rocketed by 178 per cent in the last year.
Maybe it's what the supermarket has dubbed as the 'great carb comeback', but either way, Ben is thrilled to see the spud make a revival.
'Jacket potatoes are the original street food in this country, they've been around since the Victorian times,' he told the Daily Mail.
'With the street food revolution that's happened in this country over the last fifteen years, the humble jacket spud got left behind. We didn't innovate, we didn't move forward. We didn't shout about it.
'And that's what I did. That's what social media has done. It means we got people really excited with it, and reminded people how good it is, and it is a humble everyday food.'
Potato street food traders have since popped up around the country on the back of Spudman and Spud Bros taking the vegetable to new heights.
Young entrepreneur Evie Capps, 20, shelved her plans for a coffee shop to start Spud Stop in Lincoln.
'I was originally thinking of opening a coffee shop,' she said. 'But after seeing how popular jacket spuds have become on TikTok, I thought: why not give it a go? Everyone loves a spud – they're filling, comforting and versatile.'
In the last few years Ben has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood A-listers and even recently met Queen Camilla
The viral sensation boasts a 4.2 million following, with people from all corners of the globe jumping on jets with the sole purpose of heading to Tamworth
The humble food salesman has, in the last year, hung out with US singer Teddy Swims and Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman
Ben sells £5 jacket potatoes from his trailer that were described by food critic Tom Parker-Bowles as 'the finest baked spuds to ever pass his lips'
Ben has his son, Dylan (Little Spud), to thank for his fame after he suggested to his father that he should start using TikTok
Ben is only too happy to see as many potato trailers pop up as possible, and would rather help build their popularity than muscle in on their turf.
Most recently, he teamed up with Liverpool's John The Spud, a collaboration that helped balloon his social media following from 3,000 to 25,000 in two weeks.
'My dad (Michael Newman) was a potato merchant. He did something that no one else did at the time, and he wrapped the potatoes in tin foil, and he supplied probably ninety per cent of the Baker Boys up and down the country at one point - a really successful business in supplying people just like me,' Ben said.
'I know if I went to a town with that great big wagon that I've got, and I pitched up against some local guy that's been there for twenty or thirty years, my old man would turn in his grave knowing that I'd gone up against one of his old customers.
'So whenever we go somewhere, I make sure, like Liverpool, we've teamed up with the local guy rather than going up against him.
'I know how I would feel if my wagon came rolling in one hundred yards from my pitch. I'd be devastated. So we don't do it.'
Ben said he is 'honoured' by the opportunities he has been able to have since beginning to document his business.
The humble food salesman has, in the last year, hung out with US singer Teddy Swims and Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, while he was serving potatoes at a London screening to promote the pair's new Deadpool and Wolverine film.
In November, Queen Camilla joined him in his trailer to serve jacket potatoes to visitors at Clarence House.
Her food critic son, Tom Parker-Bowles, had already given Ben a glowing review, declaring his potatoes 'the finest baked spuds to ever pass his lips'.
Spud Bros was announced as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Championship club Preston North End for 2025-26
Spud Bros sources its potatoes from local farmers with its most popular topping garlic butter, cheese, beans, its 'famous tram sauce', and crispy onions
But there is a serious side to what he does, too. Ben was diagnosed with renal failure in 2010.
He has had three transplants, which all failed due to his illness and has to have dialysis five times a week.
'I've got a lot of followers, and a lot of other kidney patients and dialysis patients that follow me for the sake I show a positive side to it, and show that you can live a normal life, and you can have a business, and you can have a family whilst still having end stage renal failure, and being on dialysis five nights a week,' he said.
'We've all got battles, haven't we, just to get a day's work done. I think a lot of people appreciate that I show a reality that's not easy, but we can do it.'
His success has enabled him to move his family out of their rented home and to get a mortgage, with his money also being invested back into the business.
Ben tells me he's happy with his two trailers (one for his town centre pitch, and the other for events) and wants to maintain a work-life balance rather than pursue global domination.
'I'd probably be a lot better businessman if I were a bit more ruthless, but I like doing nice things,' he said.
'I just want to set myself up so that if I have to have a month off because I'm not very well, I can, and not have bills over my head and stuff like that.
'That's the thing that always worries me, is with my illness.. can I work and stuff like that? So I try my hardest to be sensible and not overstretch myself financially.'
They credit their father - known as the Spudfather - for their fame, as it was he who started the TikTok account that has amassed more than four million followers.
Their first viral hit saw them giving a student a free potato who told them 'that was the best jacket potato I've ever had'.
Spud Bros has also attracted their own following with Oscar-nominated star Liam Neeson (pictured) among their legion of fans
Brothers Jacob and Harley have no plans to hang up their aprons and have ambition to make Spud Bros a global brand
'We give spuds away sometimes, we have banter with customers, and people seem to really enjoy those interactions. Preston's full of characters and good banter, and that really comes through,' Jacob told the Daily Mail.
Like Spudman, massive queues have formed outside their tram with people from as far as Japan and Australia travelling to Preston to get a taste of their potatoes.
Jacob said: 'Another big moment was the couple who came over after the lady had fallen over; she had Alzheimer's. I only had one potato left and offered it to them for free.
'That became one of our biggest videos and is part of the reason we're now doing our campaign with Our Dementia Choir.'
Jacob puts their success down to hard work, consistency, new ideas and 'just being yourself'.
'Looking after the people around you is massive, the staff and creating an environment people actually want to work in', he said.
'And most importantly, the food. You can have all the hype in the world, but if the food isn't good, people won't come back. Great food, good people, good customer service and genuine interaction, that was ingrained in us from a young age.
'Just be nice, it costs nothing, and if you’re going to do something, do it properly.'
The siblings recently travelled to Abu Dhabi, where they sold their famous loaded jacket spuds at the F1 season finale.
Jacob said: 'We were a bit nervous because it was outside the UK, but the support from the Emiratis and everyone there was unbelievable.
'We were told we were the busiest trader with the biggest queues. The opportunities and people coming up to us were insane.
'As long as we keep showing up, working hard, being creative and maintaining the hype and making sure the people around us are happy and benefit from it, I think it can keep growing.'
As for the future, the siblings have no plans to hang up their aprons any time soon and are focused on building their brand.
'Those core values, great food, good vibes and giving back are what we enjoy and it's our livelihood now,' Jacob said.
'I couldn't see myself going back to a different job. I love potatoes, and I love the people and community we've built.'
As for the jacket potato revolution, Ben hopes this is just the start.
'[Jacket potatoes] should be something that you can have as cheap food and a good everyday food. It has definitely come back in popularity from what it was five years ago to what it is now.
'The amount of jacky potato men out there is crazy.'