Awards & Press Reviews

Jamie Oliver magazine March 2013

UK Chocolate Heroes

Sharon Grimshaw makes gorgeous luxury chocolates in her kitchen. Known for creating truffle versions of British puddings, her Easter Simnel chocolates, based on the traditional cake, with spices, white chocolate and marzipan, are a real winner.

Scottish Field July 2012 - Editor's Choice

These choccys are handmade to a top secret recipe using only the finest ingredients. Try their decadent Spanish hot chocolate with delicious churros.

International Business Times 13 February 2012

Hot Chocolates has absolutely outdone itself with truffles that are fine and velvety and highly sought after in the office. We loved its confectionery and were pleased with the price too, averaging under £1 per individual but disappointed we didn’t have more to sample. A very solid chocolatier.

Edinburgh Evening News 23 April 2011 - Breaking the Mould

Self-taught chocolatier Sharon Grimshaw cooks up her sweet treats in her kitchen on Littlejohn Road, sending luscious aromas of her award-winning apple crumble chocolates and her quirky Lia Fail truffle - laced with Perthshire brewed beer - across neighbours' gardens. She sells her bespoke, handmade creations through her HotChocolates website and demand is growing all the time. "I was making up little favours for my wedding guests and was so disappointed at the state of British chocolate available that I decided to make my own," she recalls. She began creating recipes based on traditional British puddings - including black forest cherry and an oat and whisky Cranachan-style chocolate. For Easter, she adapted the classic Simnel cake, with spices, nuts, marzipan and orange, and turned it into a mouthwatering white chocolate.

No.1 Magazine January 2011 - Sweet Success

Featuring me, Sharon, talking about what gave me the inspiration for the business, the challenges and joys along the way. Feel rather proud reading this article to think what I have had to overcome to get us to where we are now. Thank you No.1 for quoting me pretty much verbatim.

Taste of Scotland October 2010

Featured as one of the Taste of Scotland favourite chocolatiers for Chocolate Week October 11th - 17th.

The The Larder 2010 Edition

This Edinburgh based chocolate maker has a great recipe for hot chocolate using dark chocolate drops, but they major in handmade individual chocolates. Their base chocolate is Belgian and Scottish ingredients make an appearance in a couple of examples from their range:Lia Fail a dark chocolate encased truffle with a dose of dark Scottish beer and milk chocolate Sonsie Face featuring oats soaked in Drambuie and honey.

My Weekly February 2010 - Delicious Chocolate Delights

No girls' night in is complete without some delicious chocolate delights to nibble on...Try chocolate in the Spanish style with luxury chocolates from www.hotchocolates.biz. Their hamper contains handmade chocolates, bars and buttons.

delicious Magazine January 2010 - Best Chocolatiers

Hot Chocolates is a bespoke little concern run by Sharon Grimshaw. Buoyed by compliments from guests at her wedding in 2005, for which she made the favours, Sharon honeymooned in Spain, “a country in love with chocolate”, and the idea for a business began to form. Now, from her Edinburgh base, she creates milk chocolate buttons at one end of her range, and a hamper with ‘a little bit of everything’ at the other. Lauded by The Scotsman newspaper is El Gordo (‘the fat one’), a presentation box of 48 hand-made truffles. The website also has great chocolate recipes.

Easy Food Magazine Christmas 2009 - Heavenly Hot Chocolates

These chocolates are handmade in Scotland and were described by our panel as "heavenly"! Presented in a stunning box they would make a fabulous gift for any chocoholic!

Essentials Magazine "Love"s November 2009

Beautifully presented choccy gifts and goodies. LOVE IT! - Barraquito Chocolate Box - Spanish liqueur coffee handmade chocolates.

The Scotsman Newspaper Recommends February 2008

Absolutely delicious – try eating just one – hand-tempered chocolate and hand-dipped centres. Sharon and Chris won the Guild of Fine Food's "Best New Product of the Show" award for their apple crumble chocolate. Especially recommended is the "El Gordo" selection.

The List Magazine Review January 2008

As a change from boring old chocolates why not make your loved one a silky smooth hot chocolate in the Spanish style, mixing a little cornflour into hot milk and then dropping in a handful of these wonderfully rich, deep flavoured choc drops. No sugar, no powders. 
Top tip don’t nibble through the whole packet before you get round to making the drink .
5 stars 

The Guild of Fine Food Award

Having perfected our range of products, we launched our range of handmade chocolates and fudges at the Edinburgh Speciality & Fine Food Fair in May 2007 . This was the first time we had exhibited specifically to the trade and we won “Best New Product of the Show” with our Apple Crumble chocolate.

Check our customer testimonials too!