Tamworth baked potato supremo Spud Man has announced he is releasing his own cookbook with recipes he says will “blow your mind”.
Spud Man, whose real name is Ben Newman, has taken the internet by storm since posting about his jacket potato stall on social media platforms such as TikTok, where he has 3.6 million followers and his videos have attracted 76.5 million likes.
Customers have been travelling from all over the world to try his food despite queues that can be hours long, and his popularity recently helped him secure a pitch at the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone and serve up spuds to celebrities Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds when asked to attend a screening of the new Deadpool & Wolverine film in London.
Now he is preparing for the October release of his book – Spud Man’s Spudtacular Baked Potato Cookbook – which contains 40 recipes for jacket potato combinations and various spin-off dishes.
It has an RRP of £12.99 and has already become the number one best seller in gastronomy on Amazon.
In a TikTok video, he said: “Pre-orders are up and we’re smashing it. Can you believe little old Spud Man is an Amazon best seller? That’s insane!”
In another, he said: “Yes, there is a whole section on how to bake the perfect potato, and lots of different ways to it, and some hints and tips and tricks and all that kind of stuff.
“But it’s about the fillings, and we’ve got lots of different fillings, and lots of different ways to do them.”
He adds: “We are very much going to push the definition of a baked potato as far as it could possibly go.
“There are some recipes in here that are going to blow your mind, that are completely out there.”
The last recipe in the book is one to particularly look out for, Spud Man says.
Also featured are spud trivia, jokes, a reader question and answer section and a recipe submission page for fans to share their creations.
Spud Man, who sports a pink Mohican, manages his business despite suffering from kidney failure which means he will be on dialysis for the rest of his life.
The 39-year-old dad-of-nine can sell over 2,000 jacket potatoes a day.
As well as trading in Tamworth this summer, he will also be selling potatoes at events such as the Bloodstock festival and the British Transplant Games.
- Read the Daily Focus story about the impact Spud Man has had on Tamworth businesses here.
