SpudBros, Sheffield: ‘I travelled to Preston every week for these jacket potatoes - now they’re being sold in my home city’

With over four million followers on TikTok alone Jacob and Harley Nelson have been a huge part of the resurgence of the humble jacket potato. Not to mention the fact that they’ve attracted the attention of Hollywood stars who have been pictured buying their loaded spuds.

I was intrigued to see what the secret sauce is to their success. Whatever it was it has led to a large queue forming from the early hours of the morning to be one of the first customers to get their hands on one of their ‘social media famous’ spuds.

When chatting to those at the front of the queue - which included superfan Amelia Sorby who’d been waiting overnight - I realised that most fans had already tried their potatoes.

Amelia said she follows the SpudBros everywhere and regularly visits their tram in Preston to buy one of their Spuds.

She said: “They’re amazing. I love it.”

Most fans said they enjoyed a jacket potato, but for them it was being part of the SpudBros ‘community’. It was about the two brothers behind the brand - Jacob and Harley.

The Lancashire brothers have an interesting backstory. They took over the reins of their father’s jacket potato stall which was based in a converted tram.

Jacob said: “We’re just two lads from Preston who took over from our dad The Spudfather and created SpudBros.

“We did what everyone else did. We went onto social media to promote the business and it blew up. It's just a real community.”

Harley added: “We still feel like we’re going to wake up in our cereal, don't we?

In the hour I was there, there had been people queuing along Fargate on what had been an otherwise miserable rainy day in Sheffield

Yet with the bright red facia of SpudBros Express with the sign lit up in lights, there was cheer in the air.

The SpudBros themselves said they were nervous because they felt a huge responsibility to ensure that the Yorkshire brothers taking on the franchise, Kashif and Asif Iqbal, and their family succeed.

Jacob said: “It’s owned by two brothers and their families. They are our first franchisee. We just wanted everything to be right for them.

“When we came around the corner we saw the queue and we were like ‘oh my word look at the size of that.’”

Harley added that their popularity is “unbelievable” - although he admitted that they still need to try Henderson’s Relish for their Yorkshire “christening.”

Jacob said: “Everyone keeps saying about Henderson’s Relish so I think we’re going to have to put that on some cheese and beans and see how it tastes.

“Forget the Tram Sauce, it's Hendo’s Relish right?”

If you’re yet to have heard of SpudBros’ signature Tram Sauce - it’s a spicy dressing which certainly adds a pop of flavour to your standard spuds.

While I’m not one personally to buy a jacket potato when I’m out and about, I could feel the endearing attraction to the SpudBros’ community. Just like the brothers’ jacket potatoes, they’re warm, humble, surprising and with a pop of flavour.

Yes, you can recreate jacket spuds at home, but that’s the joy of the SpudBros’ story, it gives ordinary youngsters hope that they too can recreate SpudBros’ cult success.

The new SpudBros Express Sheffield store is located at 14 Fargate, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 2HE and is open 7 days a week 11am to 8pm.