Under the influence
Forget the ‘mumfluencers’ and the ‘cleanfluencers’, Sophie White is a self-styled yumfluencer™ and revels in its sweet-paying dividends
After many years peddling my wares on the internet, I have slowly but surely amassed a small but fiercely dedicated following. Not for posting adorable pictures of my loin-fruit as the ‘mumfluencers’ do. Nor for showcasing my prowess with a hoover a la Mrs Hinch and her army of so-called ‘cleanfluencers’. Nope, my sphere of influence is very niche. I have become something of an influencer in the world of creepy stories, crafting and confectionery items, thanks to a podcast I co-host called The Creep Dive.
It’s not an immediately obvious intersection of sub-interests, yet the podcast has attracted a solid listernership, many of whom are extremely generous. You see, we don’t make much money from the podcast — given the nature of the content, the brand-association opportunities are limited — but we do receive generous payment in kind in the form of our favourite confectionery goods. Any time myself or one of my co-hosts wistfully mentions a confectionery item, lo and behold, it promptly appears in the mail at the studio.
Himself was highly amused, until jumbo packets of peanut M&Ms started arriving in the post to our house. “So, just to clarify,” he said as he appeared one morning, stooped under the weight of the sweets. “You’re now just handing out our home address to strangers on the internet?”
“Yep.” I replied cheerily, as I received my bounty.
“They are my people. They like cosy things like knitting and macrame. And some light murder”
“Strangers who are obsessed with creepy stories and murder? You don’t see any problem with that?”
“No, no, they’re like family.”
He snorted, “Like the Manson Family?” “Relax.” I said, realising, as I do, just how easily I am bought: a few free choccie bars and I’m doling out my home address to complete randomers.
“They’re my people; they like cosy things like knitting and macrame. And some light murder.” No matter how casually I try to slip it in, it just doesn’t sound great.
Still, the perks of being a yumfluencer™ — still working on the name — are excellent. A recent chat on the podcast about the joys of the Kinder Bueno saw me inundated with listener feedback (and Kinder Buenos). We were all in agreement that the Walnut Whip is one of the major underrated items on the sweet shelf.
I reckon the Kinder Bueno is overlooked due to an issue with the filling-to-chocolate ratio. In this week’s recipe, I have elevated the Kinder Bueno to tart status, with delicious results.
Serve it in thin slices as it’s extremely rich.