Home cake business

earthstorm

LE3 wrote: »

am I supposed to phone you when I get to the "red door three lampposts down from the junction" so you can run out with my cake?

I always thought is was the 'blue door 2 lamposts to the right of the white door and opposite the red nissan micra'

earthstorm

info on the food rating system

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/hygiene-rating-schemes/ratings-find-out-more-en/#.UlvN51MVomg

The food safety officer inspecting a business checks how well the business is meeting the law by looking at:

• how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
• the condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
• how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe

At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings. The top rating of ‘5’ means that the business was found to have ‘very good’ hygiene standards. Any business should be able to reach this top rating.
The food safety officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements are needed and how they can achieve the top rating of '5'. The local authority will check that these improvements are made.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has been designed to make sure that the ratings given to businesses are fair.

hayley11

paddyrg wrote: »

What does a cubic inch or less of cake cost in ingredient terms? Probably on a par with a printed leaflet. What's the impact of doing so? You can show potential clients that you can do what you're promising. It sticks in the mind better than just another business card and establishes some basic reciprocity. That's hardly the disaster scenario you paint!

But you can't bake just a cubic inch of cake. Say the smallest you baked was a 6" square cake, you've got the cost of your ingredients for that, it would then take around 40 mins to 1 hours to bake. By now i'm up to around £12 in costs, for the ingredients, baking paper, electricity and of course my time. So you've got 36 pieces (assuming my maths is up to scratch!) there of one flavour, that would be best served in 1-2 days and it's cost you £12. That's £6 per day for ONE flavour, with no filling, no icing, just plain vanilla sponge. You're looking at over £2000 a year, to give out these samples that won't actually entice anybody because they've been rattling around in a box in your handbag for a day or two.

Samples don't mean a sale, I've done markets, fairs etc and you'll find the people that come up for samples just want a freebie, people who want to buy something will just come and buy.

I would definitely take some samples to events, mainly because they bring people to your stall and i've found people are more interested in busy stalls but this idea, i'm sorry, is far too impractical and not at all cost effective.

hayley11

AHewlett wrote: »

Concerning people coming to the property, I live in a flat. However, they won't be coming to the door because my address is awkward and I'll be waiting outside for them. As for neighbours being bugged, everyone in my block has been informed as well as my social landlord who has given me permission.

I have to agree with others that this is really very impractical, aren't you going to show the customers their products before they leave with them? To make sure they're completely happy? What if it's raining, snowing etc. You really do need somewhere indoors that a customer can come and pick up their cakes, in the street will REALLY put people off, I mean, would you go and collect something from somebody stood in the street?

LE3

earthstorm wrote: »

I always thought is was the 'blue door 2 lamposts to the right of the white door and opposite the red nissan micra'

Different cake we are collecting, obviously

earthstorm

LE3 wrote: »

Different cake we are collecting, obviously

Maybe, but i think mine would of gone off by now, as someone must have drove off in the red nissan micra as i cant find it anywhere so totally lost now, may as well go to asda for a cake, they do a nice one for £10 and they will add one of your photos on it in sugar paper

LE3

hayley11 wrote: »

But you can't bake just a cubic inch of cake. Say the smallest you baked was a 6" square cake, you've got the cost of your ingredients for that, it would then take around 40 mins to 1 hours to bake. By now i'm up to around £12 in costs, for the ingredients, baking paper, electricity and of course my time.

£12 costs for a 6" square plain cake - that's ludicrous!

earthstorm

simple victoria sponge for ingredients only at asda prices

4oz/100g self-raising flour - 500G Bero 78p
4oz/100g sugar (normal should be fine) - 1KG granulated 88p or 1KG Castor £1.48
4oz/100g butter - 250G £1.90
2 eggs - 6 eggs £1

£4.56 or £5.16

so by the time you add electricity/gas and your time then it will be approx. £12

hayley11

LE3 wrote: »

£12 costs for a 6" square plain cake - that's ludicrous!

No it's not. Not if you value your time, charge for all ingredients, electricity etc. Believe me, that is based on real costings, that I use for my business.

Savvy_Sue

AHewlett wrote: »

And for me getting to and from fairs, most of these fairs are either every few months or once a month depending. To get there, my boyfriend will use his car. I don't know if I have to cover his car with insurance seeing as he already has insurance.

notanewuser wrote: »

And it's extremely unlikely that your boyfriend's car insurance will cover carrying you plus cakes to markets and fairs.

macman wrote: »

It certainly won't. It will count as commercial use, and need insurance as such.

to be fair, we don't know what level of insurance the boyfriend currently has, however he does need to phone and check with his insurer whether the cover is adequate. Some will extend it at no additional cost, others will make an admin charge for adding it. Some, I'm guessing, will want to charge a LOT more and / or end the policy.