William Curley

William Curley, 33 Smiths Court, London
0207 287 4777

Harrods, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London
0207 730 1234

Visit William Curley official website

From Scotland to the Forefront of British Chocolate

For William Curley, chocolate and pâtisserie are inseparable crafts.

Born and raised in Methil, Fife, Curley began his career with an apprenticeship at Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel before entering some of Europe’s most demanding professional kitchens. His journey eventually took him from Scotland to France and London, where classical pastry training became the foundation for an increasingly distinctive approach to chocolate.

Today, William Curley is both a chocolatier and pâtissier, creating chocolates, confections and pastries that combine technical precision with flavours drawn from Britain, Europe and Japan.

Learning in Europe’s Great Kitchens

Curley’s development took place alongside some of the most influential chefs of his generation.

After Gleneagles, he worked in Michelin-starred kitchens including Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Marco Pierre White’s The Oak Room and Marc Meneau’s L’Espérance in France.

He later became the youngest Chef Pâtissier at The Savoy, where he worked under Anton Edelmann and led a team of 21 pastry chefs.

That background remains visible in his chocolate. Flavour, texture and presentation are approached with the precision of restaurant pastry rather than as separate confectionery disciplines.

Building the William Curley Brand

Curley opened his first William Curley shop in Richmond in 2004. Twenty years later, he and Melissa Curley marked the anniversary of a business that has remained independent while evolving through several different locations and concepts.

Today, the brand operates a boutique at 33 Smith’s Court in Soho, along with a concession inside the Chocolate Hall at Harrods in Knightsbridge. Both remain active in 2026.

The online boutique extends the collection nationally, offering Couture Chocolates, truffles, bars, hot chocolate, confectionery and seasonal creations.

Couture Chocolates and Unexpected Flavours

At the centre of Curley’s work is his Couture Chocolate collection.

These fresh chocolates are produced without artificial flavours, preservatives or additives and are designed around carefully constructed flavour combinations.

Some creations reflect Curley’s Scottish and British heritage. His signature combinations have included thyme with Scottish heather honey and juniper with blackcurrant.

Others reveal a strong Japanese influence. Yuzu appears alongside flavours such as Japanese black vinegar, while apricot has been paired with wasabi. Rosemary and olive oil provide another example of Curley’s willingness to take ingredients more commonly associated with savoury cooking and reinterpret them through chocolate.

Turning Childhood Favourites into Luxury Chocolate

One of Curley’s most distinctive collections takes an entirely different approach. His Nostalgia range revisits familiar childhood sweets and biscuits, rebuilding them using fine chocolate and high-quality ingredients.

The collection has included sophisticated interpretations of Jaffa Cakes, Bounty Bars, Cartwheels and Millionaire’s shortbread. It is a playful counterpoint to the precision of his Couture Chocolates.

Rather than simply reproducing familiar sweets, Curley applies professional pâtisserie and chocolatier techniques to the flavours and textures people remember from childhood.

Ingredients Without Compromise

Ingredient quality remains fundamental to Curley’s approach to chocolate and pâtisserie. His creations are made without artificial additives, colourings or preservatives, allowing the character of the chocolate and accompanying ingredients to remain at the forefront.

Curley works with premium Amedei couverture from Tuscany, pairing it with carefully selected ingredients such as Piedmont hazelnuts, Avola almonds and Madagascan vanilla. This attention to sourcing extends across his chocolates, truffles, pastries and confections, where individual ingredients are chosen for flavour rather than simply decoration.

His background in classical pâtisserie is equally important. Instead of producing chocolate directly from cacao beans, Curley applies the skills of a chocolatier-pâtissier to premium couverture, building flavour through ganaches, pralines, caramels, fruit, nuts, spices and contrasting textures.

The result reflects the philosophy that has shaped his career: begin with exceptional ingredients, apply precise technique and allow flavour to lead the finished creation.

Training the Next Generation

Curley’s influence also extends beyond the chocolates carrying his name. Training young pastry chefs remains an important part of the business, which has received the Next Generation Award from the Academy of Chocolate for its commitment to developing young talent.

Curley also provides professional training, product development, menu development and consultancy. His official site describes mentoring young talent as one of the central passions of his work. It creates a natural continuation of the apprenticeship that began his own career in Scotland.

Scottish Roots, International Technique

William Curley’s career crosses several chocolate and pastry traditions without belonging exclusively to any one of them.

His Scottish beginnings provide one influence. French haute pâtisserie supplied much of his technical foundation. British flavours appear throughout his chocolates, while Japanese ingredients introduce another layer of inspiration.

The result is a body of work that can move comfortably from a Scottish heather honey chocolate to yuzu, from elegant fresh truffles to a meticulously reconstructed childhood sweet.

More than two decades after establishing the William Curley name, that combination of precision, exceptional ingredients and curiosity continues to define one of Britain’s most distinctive chocolatier-pâtissiers.