Cash from Baking??

hayley11

Thanks Paul

I luckily do have a double sink plus a seperate sink in the utility room, we were considering ripping that out and putting a dishwasher in but I think we're leaving the sink as it is now. Fingers crossed that's enough for the EHO.

I definitely agree that they should be trying to help home bakers, not hinder them.

Mutter_2

Only read the last page but found it so interesting will read the whole thread.
I agree with paulwf, generally commercial set ups are very fussy. However they are still only as good as the staff. There will be a hand basin, but I've seen chefs many times go out for a ciggi, blow their nose, or take rubbish to the bins without washing their hands on returning, and that was in the best. That should be picked up by the head chef, but HC's are generally more concerned by presentation and speed than hygiene.

I worked with a chef who was fastidious, carrying hygiene to the letter. Other chefs hated him for it , as he made their lives hard, and drove him out.

I worked in the best care home in the area until they insisted I ignored the mince on the plates left by a rubbish dish washing machine. "Just wipe it off with a cloth." I left on the second day after a massive row about it.

They also only emptied and cleaned the dishwasher once a week, should be everyday. For those who don't know, commercial dishwashers use the same washing water all day, with a scalding rinse. Imagine the state of the water after a week. Imagine if the machine isn't reaching high enough temperature. I have never seen an EHO check one. They look for mice boxes and check fridge/freezer temps but neglect the washing up area.
EHO's can also vary in their opinions. One might insist on Lettuce going through a chlorine bath, the next not.

One advantage in a commercial kitchen is that if hygiene is being seriously breeched, someone will report it. No one to report it in a home environment.

Someone mentioned cake factory? The standards were very high. Covered from head to toe, walk through disinfectant in the wellies, hands scrubbed for a certain length of time before doors would allow entry. Thank God, because seeing some arriving in their normal garb, you wouldn't want them anywhere near your food.

One thing that puzzles me having watched B&B programme on TV. None of the EHO rules seem to apply to them! I see cats and dogs wandering about. That would never be allowed if you wanted to bake a few cakes for your local farm shop to sell.
Last word. Never underestimate the danger of working with Dairy products. My own brother, along with ten others contacted Typhoid due to a bakery worker not washing their hands after the loo, and returning to fill cakes with fresh cream.
As I said, all the EHO rules in the World can be broken by one small neglectful act.

thinkpositive

thanks paulwf - still sorry I couldn't go ahead with making cakes. I wanted to make them to supply one cafe. They guy who ran it enjoyed my cakes and wanted me to bake for them. I wanted to make sure I did everything by the book, so did the Food Hygiene Course and contacted the EHO - but the response was so negative. I was told that if I maybe made 1 or 2 sponges a week that would be OK. Well, that wouldn't be enough for a cafe. I had wanted to make things like Millionaire's Shortbread, Shortbread and slices as well as cakes in different flavours.Apparently supplying a cafe is a big no, no for a home baker as you come up against labelling restrictions so that is why lots of cafe's sell the same manufactured types of cakes as these cakes comply with labelling, EHO rules etc. I thought that if I was only supplying one cafe I could do printed sheets of the ingredients for each cake and then each week just print out the same one. However the EHO said no that wouldn't be enough and she wouldn't be happy with that. I would so love to do baking or something that I enjoy as a way to bring some money in, but red tape says no!

I do sympathise with EHO's as they are between a rock and a hard place. It isn't their fault but there should be some leeway in the regulations to allow home bakers to supply their local cafe. One other thing I would say is that the Environmental Health regulations seem to be a lot like Planning Regulations....ie the same rule does not apply across the whole country, in some areas the rules are more stringently applied. It should be the same rules across the board and can't understand why it is not.

Hayley - you should be fine with your double sink and hand sink. It is sounding good for you - wishing you all the very best. I'm sure you'll do great and I could go a bit of that birthday cake right now! Do let us know how you get on.

Mutter - lots of good points you've made. I think with the B&B once again it depends on the area you are in how stringently the rules are applied. Re dairy products I know that you have to steer clear of using fresh cream or cream cheese as the rules are far stricter due to the higher risks. I always wonder when I see anywhere selling cream cheese topping on cupcakes etc - how they are able to do this as this topping is a high risk one. I've seen people selling mail order cupcakes with cream cheese topping and can't see how they get away with it.

TheConsumersRight

Sheffield_Tiger wrote: »

You could go for a niche..

...

Aim it at a middle class market who may not NEED wheat-free but like anything that is "free" of something except cost, and are quite happy to pay a little extra so they are happy that they are buying local and being green in some way. If they like what they taste, they will return. And tell their friends all about it (they won't be able to help themselves, it advances their tree-hugging status)

I take it your cookies come with chips

esmer

Thanks Thinkpositive, I think we had the same EHO officer. He did tell me, I had a neat clean tidy "domestic kitchen" but because of failures of others int he past they are really strict. Not sure how it all works, but our local church cooks breakfasts on a Sat morning to raise funds for the church and that kitchen has one sink, one cooker and a dishwasher. So they are not even up to standards. I agree with the whole B&B's lots I have been in, its just a domestic kitchen, and they have animals and kids running around....................

I am gutted, because a local cafe was interested in my cupcakes, there is nowhere in my area that sells them. And the local bakeries lack taste. I will just have to see if there is something else I can do.

Thinkpositive, will send you the recipe xx

esmer

hayley11 wrote: »

Here's the cake I did for my nieces birthday...

The finish isn't perfect but overall i'm quite happy with it. I really struggled cutting the letters out but then once i'd done a few, I was okay doing them. I broke two putting them on the cake but I don't think you can tell. :rotfl:

I didn't make the flowers btw.

Any comments, postive or negative would be greatly appreciated. I have zero confidence in anything I make and I always think my family just say it's good to please me.

The lettering is lovely, and nope cant see where it has broken off. did they love the cake.

esmer

Thanks Thinkpositive, I think we had the same EHO officer. He did tell me, I had a neat clean tidy "domestic kitchen" but because of failures of others int he past they are really strict. Not sure how it all works, but our local church cooks breakfasts on a Sat morning to raise funds for the church and that kitchen has one sink, one cooker and a dishwasher. So they are not even up to standards. I agree with the whole B&B's lots I have been in, its just a domestic kitchen, and they have animals and kids running around....................

I am gutted, because a local cafe was interested in my cupcakes, there is nowhere in my area that sells them. And the local bakeries lack taste. I will just have to see if there is something else I can do.

Thinkpositive, will send you the recipe xx

paulwf

Thinkpositive and Esmer...as you both have 1 cafe interested could you look at using their kitchens before/after they open? If they don't have a suitable kitchen are there any other places you could use?

The ingredients thing sounds like a bit of a red herring to me...unless they are pre-packaged when did you last see a cake in a cafe or at a farmers market with an ingredients label? I'm sure with a little time you could get an ingredients/allergy list to comply with regulations. It sounds like they just want to put you off.

hayley11

Esmer & Thinkpositive, going off what Paul has said, could you take it above the EHO who came round to see you? To get a second opinion as such? It seems such a shame that you can't pursue this

hayley11

Esmer & Thinkpositive, going off what Paul has said, could you take it above the EHO who came round to see you? To get a second opinion as such? It seems such a shame that you can't pursue this