Edinburgh Fudge Kitchen celebrates 20 years at the heart of Edinburgh's foodie, festival and tourist community, with a full rebrand and refit of the Royal Mile shop …

Plus birthday celebrations to include '4 slices for 3' across the 28thMay birthday week, with an extra free slice if you're also 20 that week* …

And continues to celebrate traditional Scottish products by partnering with Pinnies & Poppyseeds to create a Scottish Shortbread Fudge …

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Changing pre-confections …

It is 20 years since the Edinburgh Fudge Kitchen opened its doors, importing an American concept to Scotland, of fresh, whipping cream fudge made to an authentic 1830s recipe; and introducing the pioneering idea of 'retail theatre'. The shop still hand makes fudge in full view of the customer, using traditional techniques involving copper cauldrons of bubbling fudge, poured onto marble and 'loafed and slabbed,' using spatulas to turn the cooling fudge and achieve that FK-unique creaminess, as their famously engaging staff entertain and educate visitors through the whole .

In that time, it has firmly secured its position in the heart and hearts of the Edinburgh community. It has reached #3 of 192 Shopping in Edinburgh entries on Trip Advisor, hosted an award-winning Festival show, developed Scotland specific recipes, including Cranachan Fudge; and partnered with local artisans to create incredible new flavours, soon to include teaming up with Pinnies & Poppyseeds in St Mary's Street, to develop a Shortbread Fudge. Underpinning the whole, according to manager Will Tebutt, is, “the best fudge in the world': the result of the soft Scottish water that equally makes the whisky so exceptional.

The idea of premium fudge was equally unknown when Fudge Kitchen launched in 1983; and the last major rebrand, in 2007, drew on the luxury chocolate aesthetic to help continue to educate customers to the product's luxury profile. This time, as part of a £100k rebrand across seven shops, packaging and website, the design concept is all about the unique FK big personality, as MD Sian Holt explains: “We have successfully repositioned and educated people that fudge, done properly, with natural, and good quality ingredients can be something rather special and spectacular.Fudge Kitchen has grown-up and now is the time to let our own, very unique identity and strong brand shine through in its own right. Quirky straplines and design features reflect the group personality of the fudge family, and lighter-brighter colours let the hero of the piece, our fudge, stand out on a fresh, contemporary stage all of its own.“

The result is bright, light, and artisanal functional; with clear, colour-coded signage, flavour and allergen information and a layout designed for both efficiency and as a stage for the fabulously theatrical process that is traditional fudge making, which customers specifically visit to watch. Yet, with the quirky details that differentiate the brand – from the rubber duck and chainsaw listed on the Fudge Tooling board, to sage advice accompanying the Fudge Flavours: “Don't Tap on the Glass. It Scares the Fudge”…

Says Edinburgh manager, Will Tebutt: “The Edinburgh shop's refit is just what it needs for its 20th year making the 'BEST FUDGE IN SCOTLAND.' It's going to look great, and I hope all our customers, local or tourist, think the same thing too!"

A few random Edinburgh facts …

• Edinburgh's favourite fudge flavour is Belgian Chocolate Swirl - a departure from the rest of the six Fudge Kitchen shops across England, for whom Sea Salted Caramel is the best seller.
• The Edinburgh team comprises Will Tebbutt (manager since 2001), who looks like a bearded warrior (in fact he has just appeared in a film as an extra being just that), Ray, his right hand man, who speaks multiple languages, is an amazing impressionist, moonlights as a stand up comedian and loves Eurovision. Dave completes the full time trio. He can windsurf, he regularly donates bone marrow and blood and he has the best trousers of anyone in the shop.
• The shop becomes an institution during the festival. Ray performs a show each year on the Free Fringe an in previous years the shop has been a comedy venue, in fact 'The Fudge Shop' – a shop about two rival fudge shops - won a Three Weeks Editors award 5 years ago and famous return visitors each year include James Acaster, Al Murray, Josh Widdicombe and Lucy Porter, among others.
• A hub for innovation, the Edinburgh shop regularly develops new flavours to expand the 40 plus Fudge Kitchen menu. Traditional fudge products and recipes have been 'fudgetised', including Cranachan – a incredible combining of hand made vanilla fudge with toasted oats, Scottish raspberries, Scottish honey and, of course, whisky!
• The Festival is the busiest time of the year for the shop. During August, they make over 3 tonnes of fudge. All by hand. Ray once made 30 batches in one day. Given that a typical Fudge Kitchen shop will turn out five or six in a day and that each baguette weighs roughly 12.25kg divided into 70 slices, we are not worthy, Ray!

Bags of personality …

This same celebration of the unique Fudge Kitchen sense of fun regularly makes social media stars out of the new, rebranded bags, which bear straplines including …

Does My Fudge Look Big This?

[Help] I'm Not Gonna Make It Home In One Piece

Are You Lookin' At My Fudge?

[Woah] Get The Fudge Out of Here!

[Caution] I'm Stuffed with Fudge

With the laughs come eco-credentials, however. Fudge Kitchen is serious about Corporate Social Responsibility; from actively reducing waste in production to annually supporting a chosen charity to tackling the packaging issue head-on. 

The new bags are recyclable paper and the redesigned Fudge Kitchen gift boxes have been reduced in size to minimise packaging waste, while still retaining that luxury feel … and keeping our fudge nice and snug! As part of this extensive rebrand, a shiny new Fudge Kitchen website will follow in Summer 2018.

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Editors' notes …

• Edinburgh Fudge Kitchen: 30, High Street, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1TB (tel: 0131 558 1517). Opening times: 10 – 17.30 daily, April – Christmas 2018: 10 – 16.00 daily.

• Fudge Kitchen started as Jim Garrahy's Fudge Kitchen in Blackpool in 1983. In 1995, the company was bought by MD Sian Holt, who, over the course of 15 years, expanded the Fudge Kitchen retail side into seven thriving shops in Bath, York, Cambridge, Canterbury, Windsor, Edinburgh and Oxford; before steering the brand into a new, exciting wholesale phase of its life, with the development in 2012 of the Devilishly Different Gourmet Fudge Still using the finest, natural ingredients, handmade and hand decorated by an artisan staff in their new dedicated production facility in Aylesham, Kent, but now with an extended shelf life of eighteen months. The company now exports to over 20 countries from France to the Falkland Islands and has also moved into the food service own label, corporate and hospitality sectors.

• The 90+ strong range of products includes Drinking Fudge, Fudge Sauces, Gift Hampers,Dipped Sticks, themed selections of miniatures, Fudge Fondues, Sliders, Sharing Squares, Fudge Making kits and the Delectables range of Brittles, Barks and Caramels; and a menu of some 40 flavours. All are available online at co.ukand selected lines are available through over 200 stockists nationwide including Selfridges, Waitrose, Lakeland, Firebox, Fenwicks, Adnams and independent speciality stores across the UK. Fudge Kitchen are also proud to supply some of the UK's most luxurious hotels, Wembley Stadium events and to make own label fudge products for Selfridges, Harrods and Whittard's of Chelsea, amongst others.

Digital brochure: http://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/files/FudgeKitchenCatalogue.pdf

• Every year, Fudge Kitchenselects a charity to supportover the ensuing 12 months, through fund-raising, sporting craziness, awareness building and donations from dedicated sales. It has seen Fudge Kitchen staff pedaling across India to raise £1,185 to replace slum housing, cycling from London to Paris and across Cambodia and Vietnam, raising over £6,000 for Breast Cancer Now; plus aLondon Marathon run and a 2017 National Fudge Day fundraiser, across all seven shops, for The Lily Foundation. 2018 sees Fudge Kitchen supporting the incredible work of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue(https://ogwen-rescue.org.uk).

• Fudge Kitchen supply their products direct, but also export through European distributors Bommel,in Holland (http://www.bommelsconserven.nl), Der Suesse Regenbogen, Karsten Ebert, Gross-u Einzelhandel (https://dersuesseregenbogen.de) and Piccadilly Purveyors of Fine Foodin New Zealand (http://piccadilly.co.nz/).

• The boasty bit: Fudge Kitchen are proud to have receivedfifteen Great Taste Awards in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016and 2017for theirRich Chocolate & Orange Fudge, Penuche Fudge, Double Trouble Fudge, Peanut Butter Fudge, Sticky Toffee Pudding Gourmet Fudge, Hazelnut Heaven Gourmet Fudge, Sea Salted Caramel Fudge, Juniper & Kaffir Lime Dry Gin Fudge, Butterscotch Fudge Sauce, Stem Ginger Fudge Sauce, Almond Bark, Peanut Brittle, sugar free Peanut Brittle andsugar free Salted Caramels; and to have been named Ambient Manufacturing Company of the Yearat the 2014/15 industry Oscars, the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards. MD Sian Holt was awarded a Special Award for Leadership and Visionby Produced in Kent and was listed in the Kent Business Power Listof 40 most influential business leaders in Kent.

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