Edward and Irwyn

I really like chocolate, but Im not a chocolate snob. Raised in the USA I was never a huge chocolate fan (we have waxy chocolate I know!) But since moving to Scotland I have got to try the delicious chocolates of Europe. My husband on the other hand is a huge chocolate lover, so we have tried hung about a few chocolate places in town. Edinburgh has some great chocolate shops! Some delicious places… BUT EDWARD and IRWYN IS AMAZING! Dare I say THE BEST CHOCOLATE IN Town! So delicious and such unique flavour combinations ! Can I work here and get free chocolate?! WHY ARENT THEY OPEN MORE… their only open on Saturdays and they sell out I hear by the afternoon! When we went with some Unilocalers around 12 after brunch they were getting low on some of their choices. We got some tasty choices, my favourite was the chocolate caramel filled frog!

yes yes yes!!! Jackpot!
AMAZING chocolates, and I am from Belgium, so I think I’m a very spoiled judge!
Visiting them makes for a whole experience on its own.
Super cute tiny shop that you probably would not find without really looking for it.
The chocolates they have are real little experiments with flavour combinations…
Makes for the best original little presents!
Think ‘Dark and white chocolate with cinnamon and green mandarin’ and that’s probably one of the tamest…
You can try a lot of their chocolats as samples while in the shop but don’t think it makes the decision any easier!
I took the honeycomb one home, only downside is that I wanted to treasure it and take one piece an hour, but suddenly like by magic I couldn’t stop eating them and they were all gone.
I guess I know what I’ll be asking Santa…
If you like chocolate, do yourself a favour and pass by here. You deserve it! :)

There is nothing sweet about this chocolate shop, because these ladies are total badasses.
(see what I did there?)
In a city that boasts a fair number of exceptional chocolatiers, it takes something truly original to stand out from the crowd… well, meet the bad boy of Edinburgh chocolate. From their hilarious shop hours (Saturdays: noon — 3pm), nostalgic/​hipster labelling and their name which conjures images of antique stores or cigar shops before chocolate, even the bare bones of this business are interesting.
But if those don’t piqué your curiosity, their quirky takes on the classics and unique flavour blends will. This is damn good chocolate. It’s NINJA chocolate… both epic and able to disappear in a heartbeat. You cannot eat just one piece… it’s impossible.
I first stumbled on them as part of a chocolate + beer tasting that I hosted with Innis & Gunn. They put together five bespoke chocolates to match each beer which were beautiful and an utter hit. Next, I found them at The Marshmallow Lady and picked up a few bags to send home which «mysteriously» disappeared from the house before I could send them… (they are the BEST end of a bad day treat). Most recently, I contacted them for a special order of 55 pieces of individually wrapped pieces of chocolate — a request that two other shops rolled their eyes at before I snapped to my senses and emailed these gals. Not only are they foil wrapping 50+ chocolates, they are exceptionally pleasant to deal with and very understanding of my festive season chaos (the number of pieces has changed three times).
Yes, they will set you back a pretty penny but it’s incredibly comparable to any other high end chocolate shop and well worth the price.
Love.
Love.
Love.

This is the top end of chocolate making — handmade, little chunks of sugar & cocoa love. I thought Hotel Chocolat was something special, but when you sample chocolates that have dessicated rye bread, or pine oil through them, you know you are onto something good. I tried E&I’s chocolates at a Unilocal event, and have yet to visit their store, which is only open on a Saturday til 3pm (and it’s 5pm… urk), so I am going to have to wait one impatient week.
Pine infused chocolate… that’s a memory I treasure.

Oh Edward & Irwyn, how I love your chocolate.
And you know, not only is it incredibly good but it’s *interesting* — they experiment with some great flavours and end up with unique products which pack a punch. One of my favourites are the (salted?) caramel filled mountains with white chocolate and jasmine snow capped peaks. I mean whuuuuuuuuut. I thought the jasmine would be weird but it’s actually gorgeous and fruity and totally jasmine but not at all at the same time.
Also in love with the green mandarin, beetroot and ??? something which is escaping me. The green mandarin flavour is out of this world. UGH.
And let’s get to the hot chocolate. The chili, vanilla and tonka bean. Oh my goodness. Heaven.
They used to just make for wholesale but started opening up the kitchen directly on weekends leading up to major chocolate events (like Easter when they make the most kicking DRAGON Easter eggs), that then led onto being open the first Saturday of each month and now they’re every (though maybe most would be a better description as they’ll take off the occasional weekend I’m sure) Saturday 12 – 3.
Really lovely people with fabulous and inventive taste in chocolates. Yum and yum.