Koffmann's Frites: How a Three-Michelin-Star Chef Brought Restaurant Chips to Your Kitchen

The first time I tried Koffmann's frites, I was genuinely annoyed. Not at the chips themselves—they were brilliant—but at every other frozen chip I'd ever reviewed. All those years of "perfectly acceptable" McCain Home Chips and Aunt Bessie's offerings, and it turns out this is what frozen chips could have been all along?

I should probably explain.

Who Is Pierre Koffmann? The Chef Who Trained Gordon Ramsay

Before we talk about frozen chips, we need to talk about the man whose name is on the bag. Pierre Koffmann isn't just any chef—he's arguably the most influential French chef to ever work in Britain.

Born in Tarbes in the Gascony region of Southwest France in 1948, Koffmann's culinary journey began in the most authentic way possible: watching his grandmother Camille cook over an open fire on the family farm in Saint Puy. Those childhood summers, spent helping his grandfather Marcel harvest and hunt, shaped everything that came after.

At 14, Koffmann enrolled in the local cooking school. By 1970, he'd moved to London—originally, he admits, just to watch England play France in rugby at Twickenham. But a position at Le Gavroche under Michel and Albert Roux changed everything.

Here's where the story gets properly impressive. As Head Chef at the Waterside Inn in Bray, Koffmann helped earn them two Michelin stars. Then, in 1977, he opened La Tante Claire in Chelsea. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 1979, its second in 1980, and its third in 1983. Koffmann held those three stars for fifteen years—making him one of only three chefs in the UK to achieve that distinction at the time.

The list of chefs who trained under Koffmann reads like a who's who of British fine dining: Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Tom Aikens, Marcus Wareing, Bruno Loubet, Tom Kitchin, Jason Atherton. His protégés have now collectively amassed more than 20 Michelin stars.

When Marco Pierre White declared that Koffmann's signature stuffed pig's trotter was so beautiful it could hang in the Tate, he wasn't exaggerating the man's influence on British gastronomy.

From Restaurant to Retail: The Birth of Koffmann's Frites

So how does a three-Michelin-star chef end up making frozen chips?

The story begins in 2018, when Koffmann partnered with his wife Claire and her brother Simon Martin—both experienced in the fresh produce industry—to create The Food Heroes. Their initial mission was straightforward: supply UK restaurants with the best quality British potatoes.

What happened next feels almost inevitable in hindsight. If you're providing potatoes to the country's finest restaurants, why not develop the perfect frozen chip to go with them?

"The range of frozen frites includes skin-on fries, Le Crunch chips, chunky chips and a delicious sweet potato chip—all triple blanched and double fried for that unbelievable taste," explains the Food Heroes website.

Triple blanched and double fried. That phrase matters more than you might think.

What Makes Koffmann's Chips Different: The Triple-Cooking Method

I've tested a lot of frozen chips over the years—it's become something of a running joke among my colleagues, who've watched me eat hash browns at 9am more times than any of us would like to admit. But understanding what makes Koffmann's different requires a quick detour into chip science.

The triple-cooking method was popularised by Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, though variations have existed in professional kitchens for decades. The process involves three distinct stages:

Stage One: Blanching

The chips are simmered in water until just tender. This begins the starch breakdown that's essential for a fluffy interior.

Stage Two: Low-Temperature Frying

The blanched chips are fried at around 130°C. This crucial step—often skipped in commercial production—allows any remaining surface starch to dissolve and form that rigid outer layer capable of withstanding high-heat final cooking.

Stage Three: High-Temperature Finish

A final fry at 180°C creates the golden, crispy exterior.

Koffmann's takes this methodology and applies it at scale. The result is a frozen chip that already has two of those three stages completed. You're essentially finishing what a professional kitchen started.

The coating is another point of difference. Koffmann's chips use what the company describes as a "uniquely developed blend" featuring "a secret recipe using a blend of herbs and spices." It produces what they call "Le Crunch"—that satisfying crack when you bite through to the fluffy interior.

The Koffmann's Range: More Than Just Chips

After testing the full range over several weeks (my partner has expressed concern about my potato intake), here's what Koffmann's currently offers:

Classic Chunky Chips

The flagship product. These are skin-on chunky chips that cook up golden and crispy outside, properly fluffy within. At 800g per bag, they're priced around £3.50 at Ocado—more expensive than McCain, yes, but noticeably better. The skin-on approach adds both texture and a more genuine potato flavour that you simply don't get from more processed alternatives.

Classic French Fries

Thinner cut, crispier finish. These work brilliantly as burger accompaniments or fish and chip shop-style portions. Same 800g bag, similar pricing.

Le Crunch Chips

The coated variety with that distinctive crunch. These have divided opinion in my household—I love them, while my partner finds the coating "a bit much." They're certainly different from anything else in the frozen aisle.

Sweet Potato Frites

This is where Koffmann's really surprised me. Most frozen sweet potato fries are disappointing—either soggy or coated in so much sugar they taste like dessert. These maintain that natural sweetness whilst achieving genuine crispness. They're particularly good in the air fryer.

Foodservice Range

For those with trade accounts or businesses, Koffmann's offers additional sizes including 7mm Petite Frites, 14mm Les Moyennes, and the magnificent 19mm Les Grandes XXL. These are the exact chips you'll find at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Hawksmoor, The Ivy, Harrods, and Soho House.

How to Cook Koffmann's Chips: Getting the Best Results

Here's the thing about premium frozen chips: they can still disappoint if you cook them wrong. I've spent rather too much time perfecting the approach, so let me save you the experimentation.

Oven Method

Preheat to 220°C. Spread chips in a single layer—and I mean single layer, not piled up like you're hoping nobody notices. Give them 25-30 minutes, turning halfway. The key is patience; pulling them out early because they "look done" is how good chips become mediocre chips.

Air Fryer Method

This has become my preferred approach. Set your air fryer to 200°C and cook for 15-18 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes. The circulating hot air does remarkable things to that Koffmann coating—you get an almost deep-fried crispness without submerging anything in oil.

For sweet potato frites specifically, drop the temperature to 190°C and add a couple of minutes to the cooking time. They're more prone to catching than regular potatoes.

Deep Frying

If you have a deep fat fryer, this is where Koffmann's really shines. Heat oil to 175°C and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden. The triple-blanched process means these cook faster than you'd expect—keep watching them.

The Temperature Test

My desk is covered in thermometers at this point (occupational hazard), and I've learned that consistent oil/air temperature matters more than almost anything else. If your oven runs cool, add five minutes. If your air fryer runs hot, check earlier. Getting to know your equipment pays dividends.

Where to Buy Koffmann's Chips in the UK

This is where things get slightly complicated. Koffmann's deliberately took a different approach to retail distribution.

Rather than flooding supermarket shelves, they initially chose to supply only select regional family businesses through wholesale and foodservice channels, plus some restaurant chains. The philosophy was maintaining quality and exclusivity—the same chips in your freezer as in Gordon Ramsay's kitchen.

However, they've since expanded to home consumers through Ocado. As of January 2026, you can find:

• Koffmann's Classic Chunky Chips (800g) – from £3.50
• Koffmann's Classic French Fries (800g) – from £3.50

Ocado remains the primary retail stockist for individual consumers. Waitrose, Tesco, and other major supermarkets don't currently stock the range.

For bulk or wholesale purchases, trade customers can access the full range through distributors like Arthur David, Classic Fine Foods, and Albion Fine Foods.

Koffmann's vs McCain: Is the Premium Worth It?

Let's address the elephant in the freezer. McCain Home Chips cost roughly £3.50 for 1.6kg—that's about £0.22 per 100g. Koffmann's comes in at around £0.44 per 100g. You're paying double.

Is it worth it?

Honestly? Sometimes.

For a midweek tea where chips are just chips, McCain absolutely does the job. They're made with British potatoes, contain no artificial colours, and deliver consistent results.

But for a weekend roast dinner, a proper fish supper, or when you want chips that actually impress guests? Koffmann's operates in a different category altogether. The texture is superior, the flavour more genuinely potato-forward, and that crunch is unmatched by anything at a similar price point.

I've conducted blind taste tests with colleagues (yes, at 11am on a Tuesday—don't judge), and Koffmann's wins consistently. The margin varies depending on the individual, but nobody has ever preferred McCain when both are cooked properly side by side.

The Food Heroes Family: What Else Is Coming

The Food Heroes—the parent company behind Koffmann's—isn't stopping at chips. Their growing portfolio includes:

• Marco Pierre White Retro – a collaboration with another legendary chef, bringing exciting new frozen options
• From The Farm – a range emphasising provenance and British sourcing
• Le Classique Roast Potatoes – for those who want restaurant-quality roasties

The company has announced plans for 2026 that include Traditional Chip Shop Chips, an expanded frozen From The Farm range, new condiments, and additional retail launches.

Having Marco Pierre White involved feels poetic—he trained under Koffmann at La Tante Claire and has gone on to become a household name in his own right. The student and master now collaborating on frozen potato products is the kind of circular narrative that food historians will appreciate.

The Honest Downsides: What I Didn't Love

I promised an honest review, so here's what didn't entirely win me over.

The pricing is genuinely prohibitive for everyday use. At double the cost of standard frozen chips, Koffmann's becomes a "special occasion" purchase rather than a weekly staple. For a family of four having chips twice a week, that price difference adds up quickly.

Availability remains frustrating. If you don't use Ocado—and many people don't—your options are limited to tracking down trade suppliers or hoping a local independent stockist carries them.

The Le Crunch coating, whilst delicious, won't appeal to everyone. If you prefer a more traditional chip shop-style chip with minimal coating, the Classic range is your better bet.

And finally, though this feels petty to mention, the packaging could be more informative. Cooking instructions vary slightly between products, but the bags don't always make this clear.

The Verdict: Restaurant Quality Worth Seeking Out

After all those taste tests, temperature checks, and conversations with my partner about whether we really need more frozen potatoes (we did), here's my conclusion:

Koffmann's Frites deliver on their promise. These are genuinely restaurant-quality chips that bring something Pierre Koffmann has spent fifty years perfecting into home kitchens. The triple-blanching process, the quality coating, the British potato sourcing—it all adds up to a noticeably superior product.

Are they for everyone? No. The price point and limited availability mean they'll remain a niche product for food enthusiasts rather than a mainstream staple.

But if you've ever sat in a good restaurant, looked at your perfectly crispy frites, and wondered why you can't recreate that at home—Koffmann's is your answer. For special occasions, dinner parties, or simply treating yourself to properly good chips on a Friday night, they're unmatched.

The legacy of La Tante Claire, filtered through decades of refinement and a genuine passion for potato perfection, is now available from your Ocado delivery. Pierre Koffmann trained the chefs who run Britain's best kitchens, and now he's training your freezer.