TikToker Spudman goes viral for his jacket potatoes - and he's even visited by Rate My Takeaway's Danny Malin

The humble jacket potato is back at the top of people's lunch options, thanks to a viral TikToker.

Ben Newman, known as Spudman or the Spud Master both online and in person, now has lots of people queuing to buy some of his tasty taters every day after his TikTok page started trending.

In fact, his potato dishes are so appealing that Newman has gained 1.9 million followers on his TikTok page called @Spudman and also 342,000 followers on his Facebook page called Spudman Tamworth - or, as he likes to call them his spud army.

Newman serves his potatoes from his trailer in St Editha's Square, Tamworth town centre, Staffordshire. He can sell over 1,000 potatoes on any given day and the queues can stretch back for an hour and a half.

He joined TikTok to promote his dishes during the Covid-19 pandemic, and ever since business has been booming. He has since been praised for using his prominent profile to promote the town online, and his high profile has attracted customers from far and wide.

He's also attracted the attention of other online celebrities and social media stars. Just yesterday (Tuesday January 23), he was visited by Danny Malin, better known to his followers as the presenter of Rate My Takeaway. As the name suggests, Malin, also known as Mr Yorkshire, travels the country trying many different takeaway dishes and gives them a rating out of ten.

Malin spoke to NationalWorld about his experience. He said: "Spudman is a down to earth lovely bloke. I love good people doing well. Cheap and cheerful and a tasty tattie. A good dollop of butter with one or two toppings. He keeps it what it is - affordable and delicious. It was a solid 10 from me."

Newman, who says "it's all about the spuds" in his TikTok bio, posted a video of Malin's visit on his TikTok and said he was a fan of his.

Speaking about post-pandemic trading to the BBC, he said: “We got back into the town centre and we needed to let people know where we were. This new thing, TikTok, had come around and we started posting a few videos on there.”

He said he simply posted updates on what he did, livestreaming his work, and was surprised to find that thousands of people from around the world wanted to watch. “We did a video with a couple who flew over from Malaysia, landed in Gatwick, hired a car and came straight over for a jacket potato," he added.

Described as "spuds like you’ve never had before", Newman states on his website that he offers big portions and tasty toppings. "Honestly, these ones will make you miss it when you’ve finished," he adds.

The menu at Spudman is affordable and classic; prices start at £2 for a potato with butter, or for an extra £1 you can add cheese, cottage cheese, baked beans, tuna mayo, chilli con carne, minced beef, chicken curry or freshly made coleslaw. There's also a set menu of traditional multiple fillings, including cheese and beans for £4 or cheese, beans and bacon for £5.

To find out more about Spudman, you can visit the official Spudman website.