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I Joked About Brits Putting Tuna On Their Potatoes, And They Were Furious — So I Decided To Try It

The Brits get a lot of flack for their food, and there might be a reason for that.

Hi! I'm Kelley, a lover of potatoes in all their forms: French fried, tot'ted, au gratin'ed, boiled, mashed, stuck in a stew — you name it, I'm on board.

Kelley with glasses smiling and holding a potato
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

Recently, as I was scrolling through TikTok, I saw a couple of videos that stopped me in my tracks. Both featured British folks making baked potatoes (or "jacket potatoes," as they call them) with the most outrageous toppings I'd ever seen: tuna and beans.

I took to Threads to express my surprise, and I was absolutely shocked by the response.

A thread from @kelleygreene on 07/21/2024 reads, "Learning that British people eat tuna in their baked potatoes has sent me over the edge." It has 163 likes, 484 comments, and 3 shares
@kelleygreene / Via threads.net

Some Brits were surprisingly upset and very protective of their food choices!!

Comment by heasy_dragon: "Mate, you're from the backwater that gave the world cream in carbonara, casseroles made with condensed soup and the most vomit-inducing combo ever: Taco Bell. You're in *no* place to judge other countries' food"
@heasy_dragon / Via threads.net
Comment by thevoiceofgazkerr dated 07/12/2014: "The American version uses steak instead of tuna and the potato is another steak"
@thevoiceofgazkerr / Via threads.net
A tweet by allyiscosy from 07/21/2024 stating, "No I'm sorry tuna mayo on a buttery cheesy jacket potato is one of life's greatest pleasures and I will fight anyone who says otherwise"
@allyiscosy / Via threads.net
Comment by user "scattycarrot" saying, "Yea, it’s amazing. Part of the problem for you is that American [sic] make **** baked potatoes. Learn to cook them right and you’ll discover the deliciousness of a baked spud with tuna"
@scattycarrot / Via threads.net

They were also incredibly confident that this tasted good.

Comment by ukobserver on 07/22/2024: "You forgot the sweetcorn. Personally I prefer cheese and beans, but a nice tuna sweetcorn with a side of coleslaw is just (5 drooling emojis)"
@ukobserver / Via threads.net
Laura K. Francis comments about eating tuna mayo, cheese, and beans every Tuesday night
@laurakfrancis / Via threads.net
kimbo_freeman: "With baked beans and cheese too. Banging"
@kimbo_freeman / Via threads.net
Comment by neil.edwards.9 from 07/21/2024: "Yes, but only with mayo and ideally tinned sweetcorn. We're not animals"
@neil.r.edwards.9 / Via threads.net
afrhx's social media post from 07/21/2024 reads: "Add mayo and sweetcorn and you have a meal fit for a king"
@afrthx / Via threads.net

And with responses like these, there was nothing left to do but...try it.

Comment by alfredcamp on 07/22/2024 about tinned tuna mixed with mayo and sweetcorn, suggesting readers try it themselves
@alfredcamp / Via threads.net

First up, I gathered all my ingredients.

Two russet potatoes sit on a countertop surrounded by Heinz beans, Hellmann's mayonnaise, Starkist tuna, Del Monte corn, cheese, and Land O'Lakes butter
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

I got two russet potatoes, two cans of tuna, a can of sweet corn, butter, mayo, some Heinz beans (closest to the UK's), and some aged cheddar cheese from the UK.

I baked my "jacket" potatoes in the British style rather than the American one since the commenters were concerned about me making the potatoes "right."

I found a recipe from Cup of Jo that involves cutting a cross into the potatoes before putting them in the oven and letting them cook at 400 degrees for two full hours. Then, you take them out, deepen the cuts, and put them back in for another 10 minutes. I've never let a potato bake this long, usually because I'm standing by the oven impatiently waiting for it to be soft enough to eat.

The potatoes came out of the oven looking great!

Two baked potatoes cut open on a foil-lined baking sheet
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

After taste-testing the plain innards, I am willing to admit that the way Brits cook jacket potatoes IS superior to our American way of cooking them. The potatoes were way fluffier inside.

Then, I quickly prepped my toppings.

I warmed up the beans, shredded the fancy UK cheese, and mixed both cans of tuna with a healthy spoonful of mayo and about half the can of sweet corn.

I plopped a little butter in the potatoes, sprinkled on some salt and pepper, and then spooned on the toppings. I was dubious about their appearance but was ready to eat (against my better judgment).

Two baked potatoes on plates, one topped with tuna and sweetcorn and the other with baked beans and shredded cheese, placed on a kitchen countertop
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

Tuna and bean-smothered potatoes in all their...uh...glory.

Then...I tried them. And let me say this: I am the type of person who is willing to admit when I am wrong, and I'm never one to shy away from an apology when necessary.

A woman wearing glasses holds a plate with a baked potato topped with tuna salad and corn
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

But as it turns out, I was not wrong. I do think there is an apology in order, Brits, but it's to me, from you, because absolutely none of this tasted even remotely tolerable.

The tuna potato is just...weird. I do not like it. The flavor of the tuna overpowers everything, and the texture of tuna with potato is a mush I would not wish on my worst enemy — even if that enemy had perpetrated taxation without representation.

Baked potato topped with a mixture of tuna and corn on a plate
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

Also, I do not understand why the corn is even there. You can tell me it's for crunch, I guess, but it has almost no flavor at all. Why not just put a handful of Cap'n Crunch in there? Once you're eating a potato filled with tuna, who really cares anymore?

The bean and aged cheddar potato was not much better. It's all mush, all the time. And the beans are sweet, making it like...a dessert potato.

A baked potato topped with baked beans, grated cheese, and a sprinkle of black pepper, served on a white plate
Kelley Greene / Via BuzzFeed

For some reason, I just kept eating it. Maybe I was hungry. Or maybe I was having an existential crisis over the fact that I allowed the internet to coerce me into eating heinous potato toppings. I even tried one bite of all of it together, the tuna, the beans, the potato — it did not help, and in fact, was worse.

Between the tuna, the canned corn, and the canned beans, my mouth tastes like I've been licking aluminum foil (that's "aluminium foil" for you Brits).

I'm calling for a total and complete shutdown of all British foods until we can figure out just what the hell is going on over there. I will be spending the rest of the evening coddling my digestive tract.

I burped once during the process of eating these potatoes and nearly died.

Give me Americanized potato toppings or give me death.

Loaded baked potatoes topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, bacon bits, and chopped chives on a wooden surface
Bhofack2 / Getty Images

My blood pressure is going back down just gazing upon this beautiful and extremely normal image.

So now I have to ask: If you're not British, would you consider trying this? Also, did I do everything wrong somehow? Let me know in the comments.

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