From village pub to Potato Queen: How Poppy O’Toole built a food empire

The move south brought roles serving high-end banking clients and working at a private members’ club in Mayfair.

Then came the Covid pandemic.

Like many hospitality workers, O’Toole lost her job when lockdown restrictions forced venues to close. With the industry on hold, her husband suggested she start sharing cooking videos online.

She was unconvinced.

“He’d been saying since we were about 18 that I should be doing social media,” she said. “I thought everybody from work would watch it and it would be embarrassing.”

Instead, the videos found an audience.

After some early success, a series of potato recipes transformed her fortunes. A clip showing crispy cubed potatoes attracted huge attention and inspired what became her popular “25 Days of Christmas Potatoes” series.

“The US found me overnight,” she said.

Her popularity extends beyond potatoes, however. O’Toole said food should bring comfort and enjoyment rather than guilt, arguing that people are often encouraged to overthink what they eat.

“We’re taking some of the enjoyment out of everything,” she said.