Festive grotto made of chocolate

Prudence still loves chocolate despite working with it all day

A Gloucestershire artist has created a Christmas grotto made entirely from chocolate, icing sugar and biscuits.

Trained fine artist Prudence Emma Staite, 28, who is based in Prestbury, near Cheltenham, turns food into works of art.

Her new festive attraction features a Christmas tree, fireplace, furniture, chandelier and even a Christmas dinner.

The grotto has free chocolate treats on offer to stop visitors being tempted to take a nibble out of the decorations.

Food as art

The grotto, commissioned as part of a new housing development in Prestbury, uses about £1,000 worth of chocolate including a 180-kilo chocolate fireplace and a chocolate tea pot.

The Christmas tree has hand-sculpted chocolate baubles and there are paintings of Father Christmas and his reindeer including a red-nosed Rudolph all on edible wallpaper made from chocolate and biscuits.

"I've always loved creating things from food but I trained at Winchester School of Fine Art and found myself torn between wanting to be a chef or an artist," said Prudence.

I went into my local Tesco and bought all the Belgium chocolate they had on the shelves Prudence Emma Staite

"I chose to fuse food and art and made a full-size chocolate room for my final exams which really was a case of trial and error," she said.

Before becoming commercially successful Prudence had to buy her ingredients from her local supermarket.

"When I first started I went into my local Tesco and bought all the Belgium chocolate they had on the shelves - they thought I'd lost it when I got to the cash till," said Ms Staite.

Prudence has previously made a full size chocolate room for the children's charity CLIC Sargent which took two months and was installed in the Cafe Royal in Piccadilly, London.

She is currently making a chocolate room set for a Christmas afternoon tea in Long Ashton near Bristol.

Despite working with chocolate all day long Prudence has still got a sweet tooth.

"Unfortunately I still love eating it although I prefer a piece of dark chocolate with a glass of red wine," she said.