Fudge Kitchen are delighted to unveil a brand-new fudge flavour for 2026 following their highly anticipated New Year, New Flavour competition. Now an annual highlight in the Fudge Kitchen calendar, the competition gives all six of the brand's high-street shops the chance to battle it out creatively, developing innovative new flavours that could become the next customer favourite. The winning flavour is then rolled out nationwide, both in-store and online at fudgekitchen.co.uk.

This year's New Year, New Flavour competition took place on Thursday 15 January at Fudge Kitchen's production kitchen in Aylesham, Kent. Teams were challenged to create flavour-led, seasonal, limited-edition fudges that could be released throughout the year. In total, twelve flavours were entered, including Mulled Cider, Candy Cane, Pistachio Cream, Tiramisu, Cherry Lemonade and Peaches & Cream.

An esteemed judging panel was made up of Fudge Kitchen staff and experienced Fudge Makers, alongside four distinguished guest experts:

• Annabelle Cox, Owner and Creator of Dunk Cookies
• Robin Newall, Head of Sales at Kent's Simply Ice Cream
• Bethan Grylls, Editor at Food Manufacture
• Mia Chapman, Content & Features, Sideways Media

And the Winner Is…

🥇 Windsor – Strawberry Rose

After a full morning of tasting and debating Strawberry Rose, created by the team at Fudge Kitchen Windsor, was crowned the overall winner of the competition.

From the very start, Strawberry Rose consistently ranked highly with the judges, and by the final round it had clearly come out head and shoulders above the rest. The judges were won over by the flavour pairing itself, with fresh strawberries and fragrant rose combining to create a refined fudge perfectly timed for a Valentine's Day launch.

Richard Parson, Fudge Kitchen MD commented, “Strawberry Rose feels elegant, balanced and exactly the sort of thing we're delighted to share for Valentine's Day. While it wasn't the most outrageous entry visually, what it lacked in appearance it more than made up for in flavour and its perfect 'Fudge Kitchen' texture. Best in show, and a real all-round crowd pleaser.”

The Windsor team were thrilled with their win, commenting: “We're so excited to have won. Strawberry Rose was all about balance - something elegant, seasonal and celebratory - and to see it tick so many boxes for the judges is exactly what we were hoping for!”

Runners-Up

🥈 Joint 2nd Place: Candy Cane & Pistachio Cream
York's Pistachio Cream impressed the judges with its depth of flavour and indulgent profile whilst Windsor's Candy Cane really delivered on the brief by delivering a perfect candidate for a 'Limited Edition Drop' and packing a deliciously seasonal flavour punch.

🥉 3rd Place: Mulled Cider
Bath's Mulled Cider topped many individual scorecards thanks to its beautifully balanced flavour, attractive appearance and excellent texture. Even judges who weren't traditionally fans of the iconic drink found plenty to love in this warming, seasonal fudge.

Honourable Mentions

Special mentions also went to Edinburgh's Tiramisu, described as a near-perfect copy of the classic dessert, and Canterbury's striking triple-layer Strawberry Trifle. While perhaps not the most practical to produce at scale, the Strawberry Trifle was universally admired for its show-stopping visual appeal.

Fudge Kitchen pride themselves on remaining innovative, even after more than 40 years in the business. The New Year, New Flavour competition plays a key role in this commitment, with previous winners often going on to secure permanent spots on shop menus across the UK. Fudge Kitchen shops can be found in Canterbury, Bath, York, Edinburgh, Windsor and Cambridge.

Strawberry Rose Fudge will be available online and in all Fudge Kitchen shops and online from 1st February 2026, just in time for Valentine's Day.