Burnt Faith x Russell & Atwell: The British Brandy Behind Christmas Cream

Introducing our newest artisan Christmas chocolates: Christmas Cream, a handcrafted collaboration with Burnt Faith, Britain's first dedicated brandy house. These luxury festive chocolates capture the essence of traditional brandy butter in a rich, creamy chocolate experience that's perfect for the festive season.

As a small artisan chocolate business, most of our working day involves the unglamorous reality of forecasting, inventory management, and cash flow planning. But occasionally, we get to pinch ourselves that this is actually 'work' – and creating Christmas Cream was one of those magical moments.

The Inspiration: Traditional Brandy Butter Meets Artisan Chocolate

It all started with a recommendation from Hayley, our PR consultant. She asked a simple question: "Have you ever thought about creating a special Christmas chocolate – something unmistakably, unapologetically festive?"

The idea resonated immediately. We began exploring our favourite Christmas flavours, running through all the traditional festive fare. One flavour kept coming back: brandy butter – that rich, indulgent sauce that transforms Christmas pudding and mince pies into something truly special.

Why Brandy Butter?

Steve, our co-founder, is a passionate advocate for proper, rich, and creamy real butter. Throughout our entire chocolate range, we use Netherend Farm's organic butter as the heart of every recipe. This premium butter provides real depth of flavour and delivers our signature long, luxurious melt – the perfect foundation for brandy butter chocolates.

Finding the Perfect British Brandy: Burnt Faith

Creating authentic brandy butter chocolates meant finding the right spirit – not just any brandy, but one that fits with our values at Russell & Atwell: small-batch, expertly crafted, and preferably British.

Does British Brandy Even Exist?

The answer is a bold and resounding yes! We discovered Burnt Faith after a friend's recommendation. After an initial call, they generously sent us their 'Brandy Box' containing three bottles to sample. Naturally, we had to visit their distillery in person to experience the full story.

Behind the Scenes at Burnt Faith Distillery

At the end of summer, we visited the Burnt Faith distillery for a comprehensive tour with co-founders Simon Wright and Todd Zillwood-Hunt. We learnt what their slogan "Brandy without boundaries" truly means.

The Burnt Faith Philosophy

Simon and Todd both spent time in Cognac, France, where they were equally impressed by the passion and frustrated by the constraints of traditional brandy production. Their ethos? Build on traditional methods without being shackled to them.

Why limit production to just three grape varieties grown in one region and oak from local French forests when modern luxury spirits can explore incredible grapes and woods to create new flavour profiles and dynamics?

The Tasting Experience

The proof is always in the pudding – or in this case, the brandy. We enjoyed an extensive tasting session with Todd and the team, sampling multiple expressions.

We quickly fell in love with their award-winning Batch One – a sophisticated blend of Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat Blanc grapes. The tasting notes revealed:

• Nose: Orange marmalade and vanilla
• Palate: Rich butterscotch and dried apricot
• Finish: Smooth with delicate milk chocolate notes

To us, admittedly brandy amateurs, it's silky smooth and almost caramel-like in the drinking – absolutely perfect for our Christmas chocolate collaboration.

The Cocktail Masterclass

As if the brandy tasting wasn't enough, Xander, their expert mixologist, treated us to a cocktail masterclass. He demonstrated all the fancy theatricals of shaking and pouring that you'd expect from a top cocktail bar.

Steve and I had a go ourselves – our technique wasn't quite as polished, but it was enormous fun! We continued with further cocktails and chocolate tastings with Simon, Todd, and the team. By this point, Steve had everything he needed to finalise the recipe.

Full disclosure: We had a separate press event later that day and arrived slightly 'warmed up' from the earlier cocktails – but we seemed to do okay!

Perfecting the Christmas Cream Recipe

Creating the perfect alcohol-infused chocolate is more challenging than it might seem. Many chocolates with alcohol are clumsy – they blow your head off when you bite into them. Steve spent several weeks developing around 10 prototypes to get the flavour exactly right. Our goal was clear: the chocolates needed to be rich, creamy, and indulgent, but with just a subtle boozy note – like a good brandy butter.

The Final Recipe

After extensive testing, Christmas Cream was born. Each chocolate features:

• Thin outer milk chocolate shell with our signature 'double crack'
• Luxuriously smooth double cream centre
• Netherend Farm organic butter for richness
• Burnt Faith Batch One brandy for authentic flavour
• Hint of winter spices for festive warmth
• Deep chocolate base layer
• Made with 100% real ingredients and Fino de Aroma Colombian cocoa, these handmade festive chocolates never contain palm oil.
• Playful Packaging for Luxury Christmas Chocolates

While we're serious about our chocolate quality, we love having fun with packaging. The Christmas Cream pack is deliberately playful and festive – perfect for gift-giving or treating yourself during the holiday season.

The final packs and product launched in late October and are now available for general sale.

Check out our festive top sellers.

Where to Buy & Special Offers

Christmas Cream Chocolates

Available now from Russell & Atwell. These luxury Christmas chocolates make the perfect:

• Festive dinner party gift
• Christmas Day dessert
• Generous present for someone special
• Personal indulgence (we won't judge!)

Pro tip: We've accidentally discovered that Christmas Cream chocolates make a delicious mini tipsy-choc-ice straight from the freezer!

Burnt Faith Brandy

Love the brandy in our chocolates? Get 10% off Burnt Faith Brandy with code CHOCCY10 on their website. (Note: We can't sell the actual brandy, as we don't have an alcohol licence!)

See what's new in our festive store for 2025!

Our Collaboration Philosophy

We love creating flavour collaborations with British food and drink producers. If you know of any interesting artisan producers who might be perfect for a future collaboration, drop us an email at info@russellandatwell.com.From Steve, Giles, and the team at Russell & Atwell, plus Simon, Todd, and everyone at Burnt Faith – Cheers to a delicious festive season!

 Shop our complete fresh chocolate collection.

FAQ: Christmas Cream Chocolates 

Q: Do Christmas Cream chocolates contain alcohol?
A: Yes, they contain Burnt Faith British brandy, though the alcohol content is subtle and balanced.

Q: Are these chocolates suitable as gifts?
A: Absolutely! The festive packaging makes them perfect for Christmas gifts, dinner party hosts, or Secret Santa exchanges.

Q: How should I store Christmas Cream chocolates?
A: Store in a cool, dry place. For a unique experience, try them straight from the freezer as a 'tipsy choc-ice'!

Q: What makes these chocolates different from other Christmas chocolates?
A: They're made with award-winning British brandy, organic butter from Netherend Farm, and 100% real ingredients – no palm oil, ever.

Q: Can I buy Burnt Faith brandy from Russell & Atwell?
A: We don't have an alcohol licence, but you can get 10% off at Burnt Faith's website with code CHOCCY10.