Awareness week in the United Kingdom during February 20–26 to promote chip consumption and the British potato industry.
Potato Council (now GB Potatoes)
Institutional Initiative
Launched in 1992 by the Potato Council, a UK trade organization dedicated to promoting the potato industry in Great Britain. The week was designed to boost chip sales during a traditionally quieter trading period and to highlight the nutritional value and versatility of potatoes.
National Chip Week takes place from February 20 to 26 each year, giving the United Kingdom a full seven days to honour the crispy, golden staple that has fed the nation for generations.
The UK is home to roughly 10,500 fish and chip shops, more than the combined number of McDonald's and KFC outlets in the country. Whether you prefer a classic portion of cod and chips wrapped in paper or a loaded tray of cheesy, saucy creations from your local chippy, this week is built for celebrating the humble chip in all its forms.
National Chip Week has its roots in the broader story of how fried potatoes became one of Britain's defining comfort foods. The potato arrived in England during the late 1500s, and by 1660, Robert May's cookbook The Accomplisht Cook described "potato's boil'd and fried in butter," an early ancestor of the modern chip. The fried potato evolved further through the 1700s and 1800s. Belgian tradition holds that housewives in the Meuse Valley were frying potatoes as far back as the 1680s, and by 1817, William Kitchiner's bestselling cookbook The Cook's Oracle included a recipe for "Potatoes fried in Slices or Shavings".
The real turning point came in the 1860s, when chips paired up with fried fish in England. Joseph Malin, a 13-year-old from a Jewish immigrant family in London's East End, is widely credited with opening one of the first fish-and-chip shops around 1860. In the north of England, John Lees began selling the combination from a wooden hut at Mossley Market in Lancashire around 1863. These small ventures sparked a national industry. By 1910, roughly 25,000 fish and chip shops dotted the UK, and during both World Wars, fish and chips were among the few foods not subject to rationing, with Winston Churchill calling them "the good companions".
In 1992, the Potato Council, a UK trade organization focused on developing the potato industry in Great Britain, launched National Chip Week as one of its biggest annual awareness campaigns. The goal was practical: boost sales during a traditionally quiet February trading period, highlight the nutritional value of potatoes, and dispel myths about chips being unhealthy. Each year, chip shops across the country participated in special menus, promotions, and competitions. By the 2006/2007 season, the campaign was generating 540 separate news items valued at more than £2.8 million in media coverage, with some participating shops reporting sales uplifts of up to 45%.
Over time, the Potato Council underwent several organizational changes. It became AHDB Potatoes in 2015, and when that body wound down, the promotional muscle behind National Chip Week faded. The week lost its active champion for several years. In 2024, The Q Partnership, a collaboration between Henry Colbeck, Friars Pride, and V.A. Whitley, stepped in to revive the tradition for its 33rd edition, creating new promotional assets and a consumer competition to bring National Chip Week back into the spotlight.
Support a neighbourhood fish and chip shop during Chip Week. The National Federation of Fish Friers can help you find quality-accredited shops near you. Try something you have never ordered before, like battered halloumi or a chip butty.
Pick up a bag of Maris Piper potatoes and try the triple-cook method popularised by Heston Blumenthal: simmer, freeze, then deep-fry for a chip that is crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. Invite friends to rate each batch.
Set up a toppings bar with curry sauce, grated cheese, gravy, sour cream, and jalapeños. Explore global twists like Canadian poutine or Tex-Mex loaded fries. Share photos with #NationalChipWeek on social media.
Use the week to explore where your chips come from. The Love Potatoes website offers variety guides, recipes, and information about the UK potato supply chain, from farm to plate.
Pick three or four local chippies and rate each one on crispiness, portion size, and flavour. Document the journey and crown a winner. It is a fun, affordable outing that also directs business to independent shops in your area.
From Belgian housewives frying potatoes in the 1680s to Joseph Malin's pioneering East London shop in 1860, chips represent a food tradition shaped by immigration, ingenuity, and working-class culture. National Chip Week is a chance to appreciate how a simple fried potato became one of the most enduring foods in the country.
With roughly 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK serving 382 million meals a year, the industry employs tens of thousands of people and generates over £1.2 billion in annual consumer spend. National Chip Week was designed to boost foot traffic during a quiet trading period, directly supporting small businesses and the farmers who grow chipping potatoes like Maris Piper.
Few foods cross regional, generational, and class lines the way chips do. During both World Wars, fish and chips remained unrationed because the government knew removing them could damage morale. Whether eaten from paper on a seaside bench or served as loaded fries at a pub, chips are a shared experience that connects people across the UK.
