Scottish chocolatier and former Gleneagles chef talks solo success

Asked where her story began, she said: “I’ve always wanted to be a chef, and in my family, it was my role to feed everyone.

“I have five brothers and sisters in total, and we had a single mum, so it was very much freezer food. 

“But one of my grandmothers was a chef and the other was a fantastic cook, so I took a lot of inspiration from them. 

“It was when I moved to Glasgow for college that I got a taste for chocolate and sugar work.” 

It could be argued that Ms Oswald was always destined for the life of a chocolatier, continuing the legacy of her maternal grandfather who was born and raised on a cocoa plantation in Trinidad. 

But instead, she says it's more about science than history. 

“With cooking, it's all very gung-ho and adding whatever you want until it tastes right.

“But I enjoy the structure of a recipe and with baking you have to understand the technical aspects of it all. 

“Chocolate is just a more in-depth version of that, it’s an absolute dream.” 

Challenging herself to enter as many competitions as possible during her time studying Patisserie at City of Glasgow College, Oswald would go on to cut her teeth in the kitchens of some of Scotland’s finest Michelin Star Restaurants. 

Pictured: Oswald first found success with her business online, but began attending markets as covid restrictions eased (Image: newsquest)

After joining the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, she quickly moved onto their prestigious Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, after making an impression during unpaid work experience on her days off.

A year later, she received an offer from her former colleagues that was far too sweet to refuse. 

“There was a bit of a switch-up with the general staff at Gleneagles, and a new executive and pastry chef were doing some really exciting things. 

“They asked if I wanted to come back and make chocolates for them.” 

And so, she became the resident chocolate expert at the hotel, tasked with executing all manner of weird and wonderful briefs from guests. 

“I had no idea if I could do it. I knew how to make one mould, which is 25 chocolates, but this would mean making hundreds. 

“We had some really big plans and it was a huge learning curve to figure out how to make them work in a real kitchen environment. 

“A college prep kitchen was very different to trying to keep chocolates chilled when there’s a deck oven behind you, and a baker boiling 23 litres of sticky toffee pudding sauce to your side.” 

“My job was very much a case of ‘look at what we can do’. 

“You want a bike made out of chocolate for your event? No problem. 

“You want to impress your fiancée? Here’s a chocolate photo frame with your picture in it. 

“An opportunity like that doesn’t come along every day and was carved out just for me.” 

Pictured: Foraged local ingredients inspire the flavour combinations at Chocolatia (Image: Supplied)

Oswald looks back on her employment at Gleneagles as an “amazing” time, although it was later blighted by covid lockdowns. 

The 27-year-old recalls being tasked with creating close to 100 chocolate highland cows with individual facial expressions and wavy fur for Easter, only for the lockdown to mean they never made it into guest's hands. 

“At least the staff got to enjoy them,” she said. 

Growing restless with time spent at home, spending hours scrolling through the social media of other independent chocolatiers, Oswald's boyfriend suggested that she should take a chance on starting her own business. 

Named in honour of her great-grandmother, Tia, Chocolatia was established in 2020. 

With former colleagues, family and friends eager to support her solo venture, it wasn’t long before she was up and running with a steady stream of orders for her bespoke sweets crafted with only the finest B-corp-certified chocolate from France. 

“I went back to the hotel for a while and kept the business going on the side. 

“Then when we got a mortgage and moved into a new house, I decided to go full-time. 

“The kitchen soon went from being lovely and new to looking like a chocolate factory. 

“My boyfriend has the patience of a saint, but it was always the goal to have my own production kitchen.” 

Last month Oswald achieved just that, and with a growing interest in her products thanks to multiple three-star wins at this year's Great Taste Awards, she’s never been busier. 

Operating from the former site of the North Street Dairy, she makes the most of her surroundings and thrives on imagining new flavour combinations with seasonal foraged produce like fresh berries and elderflower. 

“I’m so grateful to all of the restaurants I’ve worked in and the people there for giving me so much inspiration,” she said. 

“But before now I was a little fish in a big pond with decisions having to be approved by people above me. 

“With Chocolatia I have total control. 

“I never thought that I would have my own business and It’s all born out of a genuine love for the craft. 

“I’m looking forward to taking some time over the holidays to take a wee pause, think about what the future will look like and the stories we want to tell.” 

For more information on Chocolatia click here.