A Northern Irish man who started a lockdown social media video cooking channel says he is stunned after gaining nearly half a million subscribers – even though he never had a vocational training or experience in the hotel industry.
athan Anthony created Bored of Lunch, a video recipe guide that sees him cooking tasty meals mostly using an air fryer and slow cooker.
One creation, involving an egg croissant with cream, was particularly popular.
Born out of his desire to help people cook at home during the pandemic, Nathan’s account, which is on both TikTok and Instagram, now has nearly half a million followers as well as more than 40 million views, catapulting it to cooking fame on the platforms.
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Nathan Anthony’s cooking videos have proven to be very popular online
He’s even working on his first cookbook with a London-based publisher.
The 30-year-old telecommunications manager, from Portadown but living in Belfast, says he never thought it would be so popular.
“It actually happened after I was in a supermarket one day, and I saw loads of people looking at canned and processed foods and I thought there had to be a better way. ‘to get my generation to cook and use more fresh produce, but in a way that suits their lifestyle,’ Nathan said.
“On my own social media I was already posting what I was cooking and preparing for dinner, but then a friend encouraged me to create an Instagram account with videos of me cooking simple dishes, using fresh but accessible ingredients. .”
His Tiktop clip about how he makes Creme Egg Croissants using Jus-Rol croissant dough and an air fryer has racked up nearly 800,000 views with many eager to try the recipe themselves. and say it’s the perfect Easter breakfast.
Even though Bored of Lunch offers everything from curries and Bao Buns to shrimp and fish dishes, meals that even experienced chefs can avoid, Nathan is not professionally trained and has never worked in a kitchen.
“I have a regular full-time job, I’m just a home cook,” he explained.
“I have watched my family members cook all my life. When I was younger some kids would watch, but I remember loving Jenny Bristow, but that’s really all my experience, he’s just self-taught and I just get recipes from a lot of different places.
“I find cooking to be relaxing and a distraction from everything that’s going on.”
Nathan says his brand’s popularity is based on his desire to ensure food is accessible to a wider audience, which means you won’t find videos showcasing high-end kitchen gadgets or obscure ingredients. .
“I’m not going to post a recipe that requires a fancy homemade pasta machine or special ingredients from Asian supermarkets where people maybe don’t live nearby or something like that, I try to make everything accessible and make the ingredients supermarket-specific,” he said. .
“It’s all stripped down, it’s raw and ready and I think that’s actually what makes my videos attractive, plus everyone misses lunch so it’s good to give some ideas to people.”
The viral success of Bored of Lunch saw Nathan work with big brands like Centra and Tesco on a series of projects.
He added: “I couldn’t believe these supermarkets wanted to work with a food blogger from Northern Ireland, that’s just the power of social media.”
Despite the viral success and his upcoming cookbook, Nathan says he has no plans to quit his full-time career outside of the kitchen anytime soon.
“I went to college and did my masters, I would hate to leave all of that behind and embrace this new form,” he revealed.
“Bored of Lunch started out as my hobby, and it’s still my hobby, even though it gave me so much.”
