Chip’d, a Dutch-inspired artisan chip shop, will be officially opening on Chester’s Northgate Street at the start of February.
Founder, Andrew McKechnie, was inspired by the ‘twice fried’ potato chips and sauces served in the Netherlands and saw the potential to bring the unique chippy concept to Chester’s ever-growing independent food scene.
He comments: “On a recent visit to Netherlands, we were looking for something to eat and found a few cool shops selling amazing chips and sauces. The shop interiors were more like coffee shops, they didn’t sell fish or do vinegar, the ingredients were really high quality, the chips were cut by hand and cooked to order, and the sauces were gorgeous.”
“There was a buzz, and everyone was smiling and having fun. I instantly fell in love with what they were doing and wanted to do the same thing back home.”
Prior to the opening of the Chester shop, Chip’d was known for cooking the signature chips at food and music festivals, such as Festival No. 6 in Portmeirion and The Liverpool Food and Drink Festival 2018, at which it was nominated for the ‘Street Food King’ award. Using a variety of potato which is recognised as the best in the Netherlands, Chip’d follow a ‘Chip, Flip, Dip’ cooking process. Every portion of chips is made to order using fresh potatoes that are chipped by hand. Once perfectly fried, they are flipped in sea salt. Then, they are served in a cone with a range of dips, including the Netherland’s famous Frites sauce, which is a light, tangy mayo. Vegan-friendly dips are also part of the selection, including ketchup, curry ketchup, vegan mayo and satay.
The interiors will create a bold, contemporary space, where guests can either take away their orders or relax in the seating area towards the back of the shop.
Andrew comments: “There is so much going on in Chester and we are really excited to be part of it. The Northgate Quarter is alive with new businesses such as Jaunty Goat, Covino, Marmalade and Docket 64, along with some amazing places in the market like Crustum. At the heart of it all, we have Storyhouse, which is a fantastic place and has recently become my second home.”
He continues: “We are keen to be a positive member of the local community and everything we do, from recruiting, recycling to supporting local groups, will be part of that. We want to be known for serving the best chips in Chester and are already in discussions about rolling out the brand and opening sites in New Brighton and Liverpool.”
Chip’d will be fully open for business from the beginning of February. Opening hours will be 11am-8pm 7 days a week and open till 11pm Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit: https://chipd.co.uk or follow: https://www.instagram.com/chipflipdip/.
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