The world’s best dark chocolate truffle is still Scottish

The world’s best dark chocolate truffle is still Scottish after a chocolatier from Pitlochry scooped up every prize at the International Chocolate Awards.

The Highland Chocolatier picked up seven awards for their chocolate truffles at the British Finals of the International Chocolate Awards.

Their Dark Velvet Truffle received Gold and the highest score of any unflavoured dark truffle judged in any of the regional finals worldwide. 

Owner and master chocolatier Iain Burnett hand-crafts his Velvet Truffles for Michelin star chefs, VIP gifts and clients worldwide. 

He creates bespoke petit fours for clients including Claridge’s, Gordon Ramsay, Albert Roux, Gleneagles, Harvey Nichols, British Airways First Class and Michelin star chefs.

Credit: Fergus Burnett

Iain works from his specially designed chocolate kitchen by the River Tay in the village of Grandtully in Highland Perthshire. 

Scotland’s most awarded chocolatier, Iain’s Velvet Truffles are made with exceptional fresh Perthshire cream and a rare island cocoa. 

The flavours and texture of the truffles are the result of both rare ingredients and the extreme level of craftsmanship. 

Credit: Fergus Burnett

Iain’s goal was to create a luxuriously smooth and ‘naked’ pure ganache, with no hard chocolate shell – but using only natural ingredients instead of artificial flavourings and preservatives. 

It took him more than three years and 150 adjustments in methods and recipes to achieve the first Velvet Truffle.

Iain uses real fruit and honey from local apiaries, with flavours changing seasonally due to his use of non-blended cocoa and cream and each truffle takes two days to hand-crystallise.

Credit: Fergus Burnett

The truffles have received more than 40 awards, twice judged the ‘Best Truffle in the World’ out of thousands of chocolates.

Neatly celebrating this 50th award Iain said: ‘Avoiding additives and using only natural ingredients creates painstaking challenges every week for the team to create the velvety textures and flavours, so this award is reassurance that chocolate critics from around the world can taste the difference.

‘But we’re also receiving that award on behalf of the farmers of the local cows that produce the fresh cream and the cocoa farmers on São Tomé island’

The raspberry and hint of black pepper velvet truffle received Gold in the flavoured dark truffle category, with the espresso mocha and rose velvet truffles both tying with Silver. 

All of the top three awards for flavoured white truffles went to the white lime and a hint of chilli, caramel and twist of liquorice and passion fruit and mango velvet truffle.

Entries to the world’s largest chocolate awards come from tens of thousands of chocolates from over 40 countries and are judged by world class chefs, food journalists and experts. 

Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s food and drink pages.

Plus, don’t miss the November’s issue of Scottish Field magazine.