The humble British meals sparking a frenzy on TikTok: How millennials are going to huge lengths to get their hands on classic staples from jacket potatoes and beans on toast to apple crumble

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  • People are flying from Malaysia for a jacket potato from ‘Spudman’ in Tamworth 
  • London tourists are waiting up to 40-minutes for a taste of a crumble dessert
  • Americans have been left baffled and astonished by easy-to-do beans on toast
  • READ MORE: Pink-mohawked father-of-nine has people in a frenzy over the jacket potatoes

Overnight oats, avocado toast and acai bowls may have taken over TikTok timelines once upon a time, but quintessentially British meals are now also making a booming comeback on social media.

From beans on toast to apple crumble, social media users have been scrambling to locations across the UK to make or get their hands on some of the nation’s most famous staple foods, after being inspired by videos from influencers.

The latest humble dish to go viral in recent months is the jacket potato, with millennials taking over the internet in their droves to lap up content about one Britain’s oldest and easiest to prepare snacks.

Videos have shown how hundreds of people descended on the quiet town of Tamworth – some even flying in from Malaysia, America and Australia – to wait an hour and a half to grab a spud from their favourite TikToker. 

It's out with the avocado on toast, acai boals and overnight oats for many, as many TikTok users are racing to get their hands on quintessentially British meals

It’s out with the avocado on toast, acai boals and overnight oats for many, as many TikTok users are racing to get their hands on quintessentially British meals 

From 10-minute bakes beans to apple crumble, many TikTok users have developed a craving for staple British foods

From 10-minute bakes beans to apple crumble, many TikTok users have developed a craving for staple British foods  

The latest dish - among a string of British foods that have gone viral in recent months - is the humble jacket potato (pictured: Ben Newman)

The latest dish – among a string of British foods that have gone viral in recent months – is the humble jacket potato (pictured: Ben Newman)

Ben Newman (pictured), 39, who quickly become an internet sensation because of his humble jacket potatoes, is using his newfound fame to help his hometown of Tamworth

Ben Newman (pictured), 39, who quickly become an internet sensation because of his humble jacket potatoes, is using his newfound fame to help his hometown of Tamworth 

Huge queues of customers were pictured on Editha Square, Tamworth on January 21. Some customers travelling from as far as Australia, Malaysia  and America to try the humble British dish

Huge queues of customers were pictured on Editha Square, Tamworth on January 21. Some customers travelling from as far as Australia, Malaysia  and America to try the humble British dish

@nowucme95

Just a normal saturday for spudman💯🤜👍 @spudman hard work pays off and ben deserves everything such a nice man and his potatoes are worth having #fyp #spudarmy #tamworth

♬ original sound – daniel steadman

Ben Newman. 39. who has become a sensation on social media with his videos, says that although people initially visit because of the social media novelty, they return because of the quality of the snacks. 

EXCLUSIVEREAD MORE: ​King of the jacket spuds: Pink-mohawked father-of-nine who has TikTokers from as far as Malaysia and Australia queuing up for his potatoes reveals how his success is helping drive people back to town centres

Reflecting on his success, he shared that his 18-year-old self 'would not believe' the heights the business has managed to accomplished, adding that his late father - who was also a potato merchant would be 'buzzing'

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His videos have been liked 38.3 million times and his spuds have become so legendary, his fanbase has extended all the way to Hawaii.

Thanks to the power of TikTok, and the recent booming fascination with the classic British dish, the ‘Spud Man’ has been selling as many as 1,450 spuds a day – and his Staffordshire hometown is benefitting too.

He told MailOnline: ‘Retail has changed. There isn’t the passing trade in town. You can’t just rely on footfall of people and word of mouth anymore.

‘January is normally a hard time for a lot of market traders and shops in town.

‘But the amount of people that are just in Tamworth on a on a Saturday and throughout the the week, like everyone is having a really good January off the back of this.’

He added: ‘We had customers today from Malaysia. They landed in Gatwick this morning and drove straight up.

‘They came to England to get a jacket potato. I asked them “Have you got holiday plans?”, and they were like “No, we came to England to come and see you”.’ 

Often asked if he would take his jacket potatoes on tour, the spud connoisseur is adamant about bringing trade to the Staffordshire town. 

‘I don’t want to go on a tour of the country I want to promote where I am and bring people to Tamworth,’ he said.

Ben has also leveraged the recent social media frenzy to benefit other jacket potato vendors across the UK – with many experiencing non-stop trade after his social media shootouts.

‘It would be great if we could help grow the whole industry. I tell people don’t come to me go and find your local jacket potato person.

With the help of TikTok - and the recent booming fascination with spuds - Ben, also known as  Spud Man has been selling as many as 1,450 spuds a day - and his Staffordshire hometown is benefitting too.

With the help of TikTok – and the recent booming fascination with spuds – Ben, also known as  Spud Man has been selling as many as 1,450 spuds a day – and his Staffordshire hometown is benefitting too. 

But he isn't the only one who has sent the platform into a frenzy with the feel-good British meal, Brittany (pictured) sent TikTok into pandemonium with her jacket potatoes and cheese cauliflower dish, amassing over 7.9 million views

But he isn’t the only one who has sent the platform into a frenzy with the feel-good British meal, Brittany (pictured) sent TikTok into pandemonium with her jacket potatoes and cheese cauliflower dish, amassing over 7.9 million views

People flocked to the comment section begging her to teach them how to make the cauliflower cheese - one person mistook the spuds for a 'brioche bun'

People flocked to the comment section begging her to teach them how to make the cauliflower cheese – one person mistook the spuds for a ‘brioche bun’

‘We did a video about the lovely Jacket Potato Ladies in Portsmouth a few months ago – and ever since they’ve been selling out every day.’

However, it’s not only Ben’s Spud Army that have been obsessed with the simple dish, many on TikTok went into pandemonium after seeing Brittany Miller’s take on potato-based meal.

The content creator, who regularly shares cooking tips with her following of over 1.9 million, had enthralled with her cauliflower cheese potatoes.

In a video with over 7.9 million views, the TikToker showed off her delicious plate of food.

‘I always mash the potato into the butter because I want all the potato to be drenched in butter,’ she explained.

While many were begging for the cauliflower cheese recipe, others unfamiliar with jacket potatoes were left sunned. 

‘Girl I thought that was a brioche bun at first,’ one quipped, while another questioned: ‘Is a jacket potato the same thing as baked potato?’

But jacket potato isn’t the only British cuisine sending the social media site into meltdown, as a crumble trader in the heart of London has also enamoured social media users.

Humble Crumble has also been quite the sensation on TikTok, with 40-minute queues sometimes descending on their three locations in Spitalfields, Camden, and Borough Market

Humble Crumble has also been quite the sensation on TikTok, with 40-minute queues sometimes descending on their three locations in Spitalfields, Camden, and Borough Market

The self-proclaimed 'world's first crumble bakery' puts a twist on the traditional British meal, allowing customers to customize the sweet treat - right down to the fruit to crumble ratio

The self-proclaimed ‘world’s first crumble bakery’ puts a twist on the traditional British meal, allowing customers to customize the sweet treat – right down to the fruit to crumble ratio 

When you search for Humble Crumble on TikTok the videos are endless, with hundreds having raved about the desert vendor for years.

The self-proclaimed ‘World’s first crumble bakery’, with locations in Spitalfields, Borough Market and Camden, has put their own fun twist on the quintessentially British dessert, allowing customers to customize their own crumble – even down to the crumble to fruit ratio.

Regularly attracting 40-minute queues, visitors from across the globe have branded it a ‘must-see’ location.

Clips of the ‘humble’ stalls are often flooded with comments from users, similarly to a video posted by a content creator dubbed  Miss Hangry.

Responding to whether the dessert was worth the hype, she quipped: ‘This really did bang, it was so so good. 

‘The apple was cooked perfectly, the crumble was crunchy and the custard tasted amazing.’

‘Looks banging….but crumble was the bane of us 70s and 80s kids. Funny to see it come around again,’ one commented.

On the other side of the pond, Americans have been left baffled by the easy-to-do classic - beans on toast

On the other side of the pond, Americans have been left baffled by the easy-to-do classic – beans on toast

‘Yes yes yes its worth every second u wait,’ a second raved. 

READ MORE:  ‘It’s what the people need!’ Men go viral after creating a MONSTER baked bean – but even Heinz is disgusted by it

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Another chimed in: ‘I went there last year. It was amazing ! So perfect ❤️❤️you missing something out in life if you never been there beans on toast.’

The popularity of British cuisine on TikTok doesn’t being and end with apple crumble or jacket potato, across the pond Americans have also been left baffled by beans on toast.

There have been countless clips of US TikTokers giving the 10-minute meal a go, with many left astonished by their tastebuds.

Described by YouTube show, Jolly, as an ‘English salad’, many young Americans were horrified by the go-to British comfort food, comparing its odour to ‘dog food’.

However, the US youngsters slowly came around to the easy-to-do dish.

‘It’s disgusting at first but when you get to chew it more it slowly gets better,’ said one.

A couple surprisingly labelled it as ‘actually quite good,’ while other gave it a medium rating of ‘not that bad.’ 

American content creator AJ, was left with a face of mixed emotions after he gave baked beans on toast a try. 

With a grimace that could be mistaken for confusion or surprise, he quipped: ‘Why is that so good? Why is that so good? 

Some said the quintessentially British snack smelt 'like dog food', but even though many were dubious several were pleasantly surprised by the taste

Some said the quintessentially British snack smelt ‘like dog food’, but even though many were dubious several were pleasantly surprised by the taste

One man, known as Thee Lit One (pictured) on TikTok, had previously been scorned by British cuisine, such as Marmite and mustard - but beans on toast finally hit the spot

One man, known as Thee Lit One (pictured) on TikTok, had previously been scorned by British cuisine, such as Marmite and mustard – but beans on toast finally hit the spot

‘How have we been missing out on this in the United States.  What is going on? This is amazing? So good.’

READ MORE: Junior Andre goes viral on TikTok after visiting unlikely tourist destination Binley Mega Chippy

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Another US TikToker, known online as Thee Lit One, was inspired to try his hand at the quick and easy dish one morning when Miami was experiencing British-like weather.

Licking the sauce from his fingers, he shared: ‘Honestly I have been let down by mustard, by marmite – I am glad I can finally get a W [win].

The trend in British cuisine on the app follows the astronomical hype of Midlands fish and chip shop, Binley Mega Chippy.

The Coventry take-away became an unlikely tourist destination, with customers flocking from as far afield as Portugal and Australia after a catchy music video singing ‘Binley Mega Chippy’ was posted on TikTok.

In May 2022, its owner Kamal Gandhi said he had ‘no idea’ why his store had seen record numbers of customers and had to order almost double the amount of stock to keep up with demand. 

The reason why the West Midlands chippy became world-famous in a matter of days remains unclear but seems to have been prompted by a catchy fan-made jingle. 

The trend in British cuisine over the last few months comes after the astronomical hype of Coventry fish and chip shop - Binley Mega Chippy (Pictured)

The trend in British cuisine over the last few months comes after the astronomical hype of Coventry fish and chip shop – Binley Mega Chippy (Pictured)

Customers travelled as far afield as Australia and Portugal to wait in enormous queues just to sample their £4.99 Morbius Meal of fish, chips and mushy peas (Pictured: Staff at Binley Mega Chippy in Coventry in 2022)

Customers travelled as far afield as Australia and Portugal to wait in enormous queues just to sample their £4.99 Morbius Meal of fish, chips and mushy peas (Pictured: Staff at Binley Mega Chippy in Coventry in 2022)

At the time, huge queues of young people piled up outside the fish and chip shop, as they gleefully sang theme tune, waiting to sample their £4.99 Morbius Meal of fish, chips and mushy peas.

Mr Gandhi said: ‘We had no idea what was going on. Since Thursday we have just been unbelievably busy.

‘We’ve had people from Australia, the USA and ten lads travelled down from Dundee on Monday just to try our chips

‘You’d have to spend thousands of pounds for advertising and exposure like this, it’s been crazy.’ 

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