Two brothers, Dominic and Armando, started selling their hand-made confectionery in 1949, just after the end of the Second World War. There was still sweet rationing in Scotland, so their delicious fudge, based on Dominic’s wife’s secret family recipe, quickly became the capital’s favourite sweet.
When sugar rationing ended in 1953 they were able to increase production to meet the growing demand for their fudge. Armando’s fame spread far and wide when he became Scotland’s first celebrity chef on STV’s Housecall programme in the early sixties. Dominic agreed to take over the business so that Armando could concentrate on his television career.
In the mid 1970’s Dominic’s daughter Erene fell in love and married Raymond Di Sotto, a top ice-cream maker from London. Raymond joined the family business and began developing a range of new recipes, including a unique white fudge which is the perfect base for flavours such as ginger and coconut.
The Fudge House now produces 27 flavours of fudge, from classic creamy vanilla to sophisticated dark chocolate and strawberry. One of the shop’s best sellers is their mouth-watering butter tablet, just like Erena’s mother used to make. Every piece of fudge and tablet is made by hand, in the kitchens next to their shop in the Royal Mile, using only the finest natural ingredients. Raymond and Erena’s three sons, Giancarlo, Paolo and Ottavio learned the secrets of making fudge at an early age, and today they too work in the family business.
“When Armando and Dominic made their first batch of fudge, they vowed they were going to make the best fudge in Scotland,” says Giancarlo
“We are proud to carry on the family tradition”.