Michelin-trained chef, 27, who was made redundant in lockdown ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë¤¹¤ë¡¿Ï³¤é¤¹s how ³«»Ï¤¹¤ë¡¤ÂǤÁ¾å¤²¤ëing a °ìÏ¢¤Î TikTok ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs about POTATOES lead to viral success, 1.6M ¿®Êô¼Ôs and a Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ìó¤¹¤ë ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äê

  • Poppy O'Æ»¶ñ, 27, from London, started working in kitchens when she was 18
  • Made redundant at the start of lockdown and introduced to TikTok by siblings?
  • A year later she's curated more than 1.6M ¿®Êô¼Ôs and even has a Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ìó¤¹¤ë ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äê?

A chef who lost her ¿¦¶È at the start of lockdown has ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë¤¹¤ë¡¿Ï³¤é¤¹d how 'playing around on TikTok' reignited her love of cooking and lead to a career as an influencer with 1.6 million ¿®Êô¼Ôs and even a Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ìó¤¹¤ë ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äê.?

Michelin-trained Poppy O'Æ»¶ñ, 27, from London, started working in kitchens when she was just 18. When the country was µÞÍî¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¤·ã¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd into lockdown in 2020, she was made redundant from her 70-hour a week ¿¦¶È in a ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ kitchen.???

With no way to »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â rent, she moved »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë into her family home for what she thought would be a two-week lockdown where her younger siblings introduced her to TikTok.

Just a year later, she now is a ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë TikTok À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë, with a dozens of big »Ø̾¤¹¤ës and brands »Ù±ç her.

The cook has ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äês with ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë companies ´Þ¤àing American ɽÌÀ¤¹¤ë - and has ³ÈÂ礹¤ëd beyond just making ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs of potatoes, ´Þ¤àing teaching basic chef techniques to millions, in cluding the perfect way to ºï¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë an onion and how to poach an egg, which have both racked up millions of ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës.

'Like many chefs last year, my career ¡Êµ¡¤Î¡Ë¥«¥à to a ¹Ô¤­µÍ¤Þ¤ê when lockdown ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë and restaurants were ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ëd across the country,' she told FEMAIL.?

'I was made redundant, before furlough was a word and my ¸ÛÍѼÔs didn't even stick around to try and keep me on.

Michelin-trained Poppy O'Toole, 27, from London, started working in kitchens when she was just 18, but when the country was plunged into lockdown in 2020, she was made redundant from her 70-hour a week job in a top kitchen. She is pictured making spudnuts

Michelin-trained Poppy O'Æ»¶ñ, 27, from London, started working in kitchens when she was just 18, but when the country was µÞÍî¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¤·ã¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd into lockdown in 2020, she was made redundant from her 70-hour a week ¿¦¶È in a ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ kitchen. She is pictured making spudnuts

@poppycooks

This ¥Ó¥Ç¥ª is a ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë THANK YOU to TikTok and each and every one of you who has joined me on this ι¹Ô ???? #oneyear #glowup

? Home - Edith Whiskers

'I was left genuinely considering how I was going to »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â the rent.?

'I moved »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë home for what I thought would be about a two week lockdown, felt sorry for myself for about two days and then spend hours scrolling on TikTok and thought¡Ä I could do that!?

'Growth was slow to begin with but even one or two comments a day were rewarding.?

'It wasn't until I started my potato series in November when I went from 100,000 ¿®Êô¼Ôs to over a million ÌëÄ̤·!?

Admitting she felt a sense of 'µßºÑ' after ¸ºß let go from a restaurant, Poppy is now a ½½Ê¬¤Ê time influencer.????

Just before the third lockdown, Poppy noticed one of her ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs about potatoes had racked up more than a million ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës, and decided to make a series Ä´ºº¤¹¤ëing 25 days of potatoes - which saw her ¤Ë°ú¤­Â³¤¤¤Æ grow even ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î.

The cook has deals with huge companies including American Express - and has expanded beyond just making videos of potatoes, including teaching basic chef techniques to millions, including the perfect way to cut an onion and how to poach an egg, which have both racked up millions of views. She is pictured making spudnuts

The cook has ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äês with ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë companies ´Þ¤àing American ɽÌÀ¤¹¤ë - and has ³ÈÂ礹¤ëd beyond just making ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs of potatoes, ´Þ¤àing teaching basic chef techniques to millions, ´Þ¤àing the perfect way to ºï¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë an onion and how to poach an egg, which have both racked up millions of ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës. She is pictured making spudnuts

Admitting she felt a sense of 'relief' after being let go from a restaurant, Poppy is now a full time influencer and works with brands like Deliveroo and American Express

Admitting she felt a sense of 'µßºÑ' after ¸ºß let go from a restaurant, Poppy is now a ½½Ê¬¤Ê time influencer and ºîÉÊ with brands like Deliveroo and American ɽÌÀ¤¹¤ë

'I've always loved cooking but the work/life balance was always a big thing for me.

'I felt like I was ¹ÔÊýÉÔÌÀ¤Î out on so much. But part of me does ¹ÔÊýÉÔÌÀ¤Ë¤Ê¤ë the buzz of ȳ¶â dining and curating a menu, so my goal is do to pop-ups as soon as I can, ƱÍÍ¤Ë as working on »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës like #ARTFeast which was a special menu to celebrate Amex Gold recently partnering with Deliveroo.?

'I love how it feels like I'm »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë creatively putting À®²Ì¡¿ÅØÎÏ into a menu, using my ȳ¶â dining knowledge again and getting to see how amazing food can make people happy first ¼êÅϤ¹'.

Because she's gone viral for her passion for potatoes, she now ´Þ¤às them in everything she does.?

Because she's gone viral for her passion for potatoes, she now includes them in everything she does - and recently made potato doughnuts for a project (pictured)

Because she's gone viral for her passion for potatoes, she now ´Þ¤às them in everything she does - and recently made potato doughnuts for a »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë (pictured)

'I love potatoes and I h ave to give credit to a ÊÔ½¸ of potatoes I made in which I Äɲ乤ëd a voiceover with a posh ¶Ëü¤Ë ¸ØÄ¥¤¹¤ëd English accent and said "Welcome to Potato TikTok".

'It ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë more than 20m ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës and saw more than one million people starting to follow for potato goodness,' she Äɲ乤ëd.

She recently joined ·³Ââs with out-there visual artist Pip & Pop to create the AMEX Gold #ARTFEAST, ½Ò¤Ù¤ëd as the ultimate art-²ñ¹ç¡¤²ñ¤¦s-culinary home dining experience where ¶Ã¤¯¤Ù¤­¡¿ÆÃÌ¿¤Î¡¿Î×»þ¤Î food ¾×Æͤ¹¤ë¡¿¿©¤¤°ã¤¦s with ¶Ã¤¯¤Ù¤­¡¿ÆÃÌ¿¤Î¡¿Î×»þ¤Î art.

The ÁϤs ´Þ¤àd Golden ²¼Í¤ë Dabs and Golden Chocolate ¹©¾ì¡¿¿¢Êª ¥Þ¥ê¥Õ¥¡¥Ês - ƱÍÍ¤Ë a 'spudnuts' a doughnut made from potatoes.??

'I have to utilise a potato in whatever I'm doing, so the potato spud nuts (a doughnut made from mashed potato!) HAD to be on the menu for this #ARTFEAST »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë!

'I love doughnuts, and potatoes are my ½ð̾ À®Ê¬, so when I discovered spud nuts last year I just knew I had to introduce them to the UK. Spud nuts aren't what you'd ¿äÄꤹ¤ë¡¿Í½ÁÛ¤¹¤ë when eating a potato based ´Å¤¤ °·¤¦¡¿¼£ÎŤ¹¤ë!'

But it's not all plain-sailing, Poppy Äɲ乤ëd that the more popular her ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs get, the harsher the comments become.??

, Poppy added that the more popular her videos get, the harsher the comments become

, Poppy Äɲ乤ëd that the more popular her ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs get, the harsher the comments become

'The best bit is the comments and the worst bit¡Ä is the comments.?

'On a day to day basis where my ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs are probably getting around 300,000 ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës a day, the comments are always ¹ÎÄêŪ¤Ê. I think this is because my ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs are just going out to a pool of people who already follow me and enjoy my stuff.?

'The more viral the ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs get, the worse the comments get.

'For example, I ÃÏ°Ì¡¤Ç¤Ì¿¤¹¤ëd a quick Ê¿°×¤Ê how-to of how to chop an onion that ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë over 105 million ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës across TikTok and Instagram and a lot of the comments just got worse and worse.?

'It was mostly chefs wanting to tell me I was wrong or not a real chef, and at first I felt I had to Éüµ¢ to everyone and ¾ÚÌÀ¤¹¤ë my ¿®Ç¤¾õ, but I soon worked out it was probably more jealousy than anything.

'The onion ¥Ó¥Ç¥ª was a shock because I thought it was too simple for people to care?

Poppy?recently joined forces with out-there visual artist Pip & Pop to create the AMEX Gold #ARTFEAST, described as the ultimate art-meets-culinary home dining experience where extraordinary food collides with extraordinary art

Poppy?recently joined ·³Ââs with out-there visual artist Pip & Pop to create the AMEX Gold #ARTFEAST, ½Ò¤Ù¤ëd as the ultimate art-²ñ¹ç¡¤²ñ¤¦s-culinary home dining experience where ¶Ã¤¯¤Ù¤­¡¿ÆÃÌ¿¤Î¡¿Î×»þ¤Î food ¾×Æͤ¹¤ë¡¿¿©¤¤°ã¤¦s with ¶Ã¤¯¤Ù¤­¡¿ÆÃÌ¿¤Î¡¿Î×»þ¤Î art

'I've worked in ȳ¶â dining restaurants for so long, you forget that not everyone knows these tips and tricks you learn!'.

'I have always loved to eat, but professionally I worked on pastry a lot more - desserts, breads etc.?

'So working on this »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë, it was ¹­Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê to flex my ȳ¶â dining pastry muscles again with marshmallows, lollies, macaroons, doughnuts and chocolate ¥Þ¥ê¥Õ¥¡¥Ês.?

'My dream has come true with my debut recipe Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ì󤹤ë, which is called Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need, that is out in September.

'It was ¹­Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê to be »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë in the ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë kitchen and make ȳ¶â dining dishes that Âåɽ¤¹¤ë all things GOLD.?

'I love a bit of glitz and love a bit of fun, so when they told me I was working with the incredible artist PipNPop I thought¡Ä I'm going to enjoy this one!?

'For me, food is art. I love plating. I love food that tastes good but also there's something so special about exciting people through the ÃíÌܤ¹¤ë¡¤¤â¤¯¤í¤às too.?

'There's nothing better than that ͽ´ü before taking your first bite! It was like ¸ºß »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë at work for me.?

'Curating the menu, ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing the ³µÇ°s and flavours, making them look exquisite.?

'It was also the first time people tried my food in so long! So it's ¹­Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê to know I'm not the only one who thinks it tastes good!

For anyone else thinking of ¼Â¸³ing in the kitchen, Poppy ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ë:? 'Don't be afraid to mess up! We all do, even the ¥×¥í¤Î¡¿»¿À®¤Î chefs, and ¤¤¤Ä¤«s you learn more about food in the ²áÄø of ľ¤¹¡¿Çã¼ý¤¹¤ë¡¤È¬É´Ä¹¤ò¤¹¤ëing your mistakes!

'Don't be embarrassed of what other people will think when trying something knew.

'I used to be so conscious of what ex-Ʊνs would have thought of me putting myself and my food out there online, but happy I made the jump ¤µ¤â¤Ê¤±¤ì¤Ð I wouldn't be where I am today.

'I'm often throwing stuff together and hoping for the best, rather than ¤Ë°ú¤­Â³¤¤¤Æ recipes. So ¤¤¤Ä¤«s I'll be filming something, I'll make it and then try and remember the recipe!?

'I think that's why people enjoyed my 'What A Chef Eats In a Day' series that shows how you can throw stuff together each day for amazing dishes at home.'.

Amex Gold partnered with Poppy O'Æ»¶ñ to celebrate Amex Gold Card's ºÇ¶á¤Î ¶¦Æ± with Deliveroo. Amex Gold Cardmembers can now get ¡ò5 »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë, twice every month, when ordering their favourite dishes ·Ðͳ¤Ç the Deliveroo app or website, using their Amex Gold Card. To find out more, search 'Amex Gold'.

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