Cash Access UK Opens 200th Hub with Chocolate Coins

In Billericay, Essex, historical figures King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria have been recreated as edible chocolate coins to mark the opening of Cash Access UK's 200th banking hub on December 18. The not-for-profit organization, which provides cash and banking services to communities across the UK, commissioned the treats as a festive nod to Britain's monetary history.

Chocolatier Jen Lindsey-Clark crafted the collection using 15 kilograms of chocolate and more than 10 grams of metallic dust and spray. She produced both giant 20-centimeter-wide coins and smaller, traditional-sized versions by creating 3D molds, hand-pouring the chocolate, allowing it to set, and then embellishing the surfaces for accuracy. The entire process took 80 hours, resulting in a display of detailed replicas that capture the monarchs' likenesses.

The chocolate coins were unveiled alongside other historical examples of legal tender used in Billericay over the centuries, including pre-Roman slaters, a Roman denarius, a medieval Henry VI noble, and a modern two-shilling piece. These artifacts illustrate the town's long connection to coinage, from ancient times to the 20th century. On the opening day, a...