How to go viral: Tips from a top TikTok food creator and a croque madame croissant recipe
Caught Snackin’s viral TikTok recipe
Lydia Vernon – one of the creators behind the wildly popular TikTok account Caught Snackin’ ( @caughtsnackin) – knows better than anyone the pain of capturing the perfect cheese pull on camera.
For those not familiar with the term, a ‘cheese pull’ is when the ooey-gooiness of cheese is perfectly stretched out and filmed for a food video on social media. It is something commonly seen in dishes such as toasties and pizza.
In fact, it’s so coveted, the hashtag #cheesepull has 980M views on TikTok.
“I’ve burnt myself on numerous occasions trying to nail the perfect cheese pull,” laughs Vernon. “Well, I have nailed it – just not without burning myself!”
Her trick for maximum viral deliciousness?
“Get a bit of cheese string – that is epic. Or Gouda, I love Gouda – it gives you the best cheese pull ever.”
Vernon, 33, is a video-retoucher-turned-chef, and you can see her recipes (and cheese pulls) on Caught Snackin’s social media pages.
Originally started by three colleagues at a creative agency in April 2020, Caught Snackin’ now has 2.3M followers and 42.4M likes on TikTok. It is said to be the UK’s fastest-growing food channel.
“We were all stuck inside during lockdown, and we thought, let’s play around,” Vernon remembers. “I decided to make a Pot Noodle video, as I wanted to do something that was a British staple.
“The recipe was based on my love for ramen noodles, which in Korea are made with cheese and ham, among other things.
“I edited the video to Dizzee Rascal – and that was the first viral video we ever made.”
The fact that everyone was stuck indoors at the time inspired plenty of videos.
“You couldn’t get Greggs, Wagamama or Nando’s and the like. So, we decided to imitate those kinds of recipes,” she says.
Vernon credits a lot of Caught Snackin’s success to its authenticity. Its videos – and now also a new self-titled cookbook – are peppered with slang, and have an upbeat, informal tone. Equally important is having “a lot of fun doing it”, Vernon adds.
Snappiness plays a big part in going viral, too.
As Vernon observes: “Most people get bored after about seven seconds.”
That’s not to say there’s a set formula for creating something that ends up being a hit.
“Sometimes, I’ll really like a video, and it doesn’t do well. While others, which I think are standard, will do amazingly.
“The other day, we did a tiger bread pizza loaf. It’s a simple recipe, but it popped off. I was shocked because we’ve seen so many pizza and garlic bread videos all over the internet. I think it’s because people want something that’s delicious and easy to make.”
One thing that does tend to perform well for Caught Snackin’ is a good old hack video. There are plenty of these in the book, such as making sushi in an ice cube tray, or having your katsu sauce with fish fingers from the freezer.
Vernon’s favourite hack is all about going back to basics.
“When we were testing recipes, we did one where we microwaved eggs,” she remembers. “It’s like eggs royale, and I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out.
"You put everything in a ramekin, and pop it in the microwave, then you make a hollandaise sauce to go with it.”
If you wanted to up your game with your own foodie videos on social media, you don’t have to spend loads of money on fancy kit. Caught Snackin’ films all its videos on an iPhone, and while Vernon recommends getting a light, her favourite approach is filming in natural light.
“When it comes to food, it’s about making the most delicious things possible. If in the first seven seconds of a video, someone sees something that looks delicious, they’re more likely to keep watching,” she says.
In recent years, popular food accounts on social media have started to move away from overly styled, perfect shots.
“I think people got bored of it, because their food doesn’t look like that,” Vernon says.
In Caught Snackin’s book, the recipes are all about making things as accessible as possible – particularly for people who don’t know how to cook.
“Our recipes include all the basic steps, because we want people to learn the foundations, before becoming creative in the kitchen.”
Croque Madame Croissant
If you love the classic croque madame sandwich, this version using croissants will take things up a notch.
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
25 minsCourse
MainCuisine
FrenchIngredients
4 croissants
4 thick slices of honey-roast ham
100g grated Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
20ml double cream
100ml whole milk
¼tsp salt
¼tsp cracked black pepper
Knob of salted butter
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Slice the croissants in half and fill with the ham and half the cheese. Arrange the filled croissants on a baking tray with a shallow lip.
3. Lightly beat two of the eggs in a medium-sized bowl, then stir in the double cream, whole milk, remaining Cheddar and salt and pepper.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants and bake for 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the remaining four eggs.
6. Remove the croissant bake from the oven and serve straight away, with each portion topped with a crispy fried egg.
Rustic Ravioli Lasagne
Lasagne can be a bit of a faff to make – but this ingenious hack takes all the work out of it, by layering up ravioli.
Servings
4Preparation Time
15 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
40 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ItalianIngredients
450ml tomato pizza sauce
500g fresh vegetarian ravioli (such as butternut squash or mushroom filling)
18 mozzarella cheese slices
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.
Pour one-third of the tomato sauce across the base of a large oven dish and top with one-third of the ravioli, in a single layer. Arrange six slices of mozzarella across the top and season with salt and pepper. Repeat this layering twice more.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling, then serve.
Giant pan cookie recipe
Why bother making lots of individual cookies, when you can whip up one giant version? This is perfect with a scoop of ice-cream or dollop of cream
Servings
4Preparation Time
15 minsCooking Time
12 minsTotal Time
27 minsCourse
DessertCuisine
IrishIngredients
- 120g unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
50g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1tsp vanilla extract
160g plain flour
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
Generous pinch of salt
100g milk or dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and both sugars until you have a smooth, thick paste. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and mix once more. You should have a thick, sticky dough.
Fold through the chopped chocolate and form the dough into a large ball.
Butter an ovenproof frying pan or skillet and add the cookie dough. Flatten the dough with your hands and press it out to fill the base of the pan.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes until the cookie is golden, but still soft and gooey in the centre, with melting chocolate pieces.
Present the cookie in the pan with four large scoops of ice cream (if using) in the centre. Spoon the cookie and melting ice cream into bowls to serve. Alternatively, dive straight in with spoons for the ultimate sharer!
- Caught Snackin’: 100 Recipes. Simple. Fast. Flavoursome. is published by Hamlyn, €30 from Blackwells. Photography by Louise Hagger. Available now.
