In the original pantry of Kinnaird Castle, Stephanie Friend and Scott Bell make fudge and tablet based on a 100-year-old family recipe.
The couple moved into their castle flat in January 2020, meaning they soon had lots of time to spend exploring the grounds.
Inspired by the picturesque castle and their kitchen, which sits in the 600-year-old castle’s original pantry, they had an idea.
Based on a recipe passed down from his great-great-grandmother, Scott brought up the idea of making fudge a side hustle.
After mulling it over, Stephanie decided that if they are doing it, they have to do it right. So, she quit her job as a sales manager to fully commit to Kinnaird Kitchen.
“Obviously we had irons in the fire before I left. Since February 2021 we’d been tweaking the recipe, designing and doing market research,” says the 41-year-old.
“Then we decided to go for it around July. That’s when we got our first order, and it was amazing.”
Kinnaird Kitchen fudge flavours
At the front of Kinnaird Castle sits Stephanie and Scott’s flat where they make all their fudge. The castle is owned by the 4th Duke of Fife David Carnegie, and has been in the Carnegie family for over 600 years.
Their historic kitchen is large, which is a necessity since the fudge comes out around five foot wide.
As well as their original fudge, Kinnaird Kitchen makes tablet and flavoured fudge. Each flavour comes from another Scottish producer, like Tayport Distillery or Maison Dieu Coffee Roasters.
So far, the couple have made fudge with Scots pine gin, blackcurrant liqueur, Glen Grant whisky, Bom Jesus coffee and Innis & Gunn beer.
“We’re always on the hunt for new collaborators, be it in the Angus area or wider into Scotland,” says Stephanie.
“But we don’t want to flood the market with loads of flavours, so I like to release them in stages.
“For our next flavour, we are working with The Gin Bothy. I think it’ll have a nice Christmassy feel to it.”
‘Heavens forbid I use the microwave’
In the spirit of their historic home, the fudge is made using traditional methods and natural ingredients. Sugar, milk, butter and condensed milk goes in a heavy base pan to reach the perfect temperature.
After boiling, the fudge is beat to make sure the texture is right and that it will set correctly.
From the making of the fudge to tying ribbons on finished bags, everything is done by hand.
Scott says: “We’ll be tying ribbons while watching TV.”
Stephanie continues: “It takes time to do it properly, authentically and traditionally, so it’s definitely a labour of love.
“But I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. Heavens forbid I use the microwave.
“When people say ‘I make fudge in the microwave’, I’m like, that’s sacrilege.”
The couple’s hard work was rewarded greatly when this year’s Great Taste Awards were announced – their original tablet picked up two stars.
The tablet is also based on the 100-year-old fudge recipe, but adjusted slightly and cooked for longer at a higher temperature.
Using the feedback from the Great Taste judges, Stephanie and Scott plan to improve their treats in the hopes of picking up more stars next year.
“We’ll try to get more flavours in and hopefully get more awards,” says Scott.
“On the development front, we’ve got a new marble slab coming to do traditional cooling.”
Kinnaird Kitchen ‘certainly’ has story
After two years in business, Kinnaird Kitchen is growing quickly. As 37-year-old Scott works full-time at SSE, Stephanie has one staff member helping her with production.
On weekends, the couple attend markets together. This is a chance to chat to customers and get inspiration for new ideas.
In addition to markets, their fudge and tablet is sold in delis, farm shops and tourist attractions across Scotland. Kinnaird Kitchen also supplies a royal castle and luxury five-star hotel.
Stephanie says: “We’ve kept things mainly to the North East of Scotland, because I think people tend to recognise you a bit more closer to home.
“Because of Kinnaird Caste, we seem to do well in Aberdeenshire as the Duke of Fife’s family were big landowners in the Ballater and Braemar area.
“It’s a nice connection to that area, and people like a product with a little bit of a story. It certainly has that.”
Closer to home, the Duchess of Fife picks up the couple’s fudge to put in holiday lettings on the estate. This is one step on the way to Kinnaird Kitchen taking up more space in the castle.
Care and affection top priority
The castle kitchen is big, but as the business grows bigger Stephanie and Scott need more room.
As they’ve based their brand around the castle, they want to stick around. Within the next year, they hope to turn a building in the courtyard into an industrial kitchen.
“As all small businesses do, it starts encroaching on other rooms in your house,” says Stephanie.
“We’ve asked for a building within the castle and have one earmarked, so that’ll give us room to expand.”
With more room, they hope to look into exporting to North America and supply more Scottish hotels. But supermarkets will never be on their list of goals.
Keeping Kinnaird Kitchen’s fudge and tablet handmade, no matter how big it grows, is Stephanie and Scott’s priority.
“I want to make my life easier producing it, but I don’t want to lose the feel that it’s still made by hand,” says Stephanie.
“I don’t want to be mass produced, because then you can almost taste in the product that it’s not made with care and affection.
“I want to keep that, because that’s the whole reason why we did it.”
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