AN artist has launched a tasty fundraising drive – to create an “edible museum”.

Food artist Sarah Hardy has been creating and selling realistic cocoa artefacts and shells from her home in Sible Hedingham for the last 18 months.

She has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to build a studio in her back garden.

Sarah, 46, has already surpassed her £10,000 target but needs £25,000 to build the studio, which will be specially designed to keep humidity and temperature levels perfect for chocolate work.

She said: “I have been working from home as I have got two young children, but I am in the middle of nowhere – there is not much in terms of business space in Sible Hedingham.

“As a food artist I had done a couple of crazy things for companies, such as a six foot tree. But I wanted to create a business.

“The next step is to secure all the funding – the crowdfunding is just part of what is needed to build the workshop. It has unleashed so many exciting things, it has been overwhelming.

“I have had museums contacting me wanting me to send samples for them to stock in their shops.

Halstead Gazette:

“I have also got an invite to a museum in Oxford which specialises in bugs and beetles.”

Sarah is now busy making all the chocolate she offered in return for pledges.

Rewards included a 16 piece fossil collectors box in return for a £55 pledge, a day in the workshop for six for £2,500 and family portraits in chocolate with other prizes for £5,000.

Sarah came up with the name for the business due to her passion for museums and chocolate.

She said: “I absolutely love museums. You can have a museum of anything.”

Sarah was a sculptor who began working as a food artist ten years ago, making everything from wedding cakes to huge spectacle pieces for PR companies.

The mum-of-two moved into making chocolates in 2012.

Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ the-edible-museum-chocolate-studio.