No Magic Money Tree....

moneyistooshorttomention

I'd favour going for a "couple more meal things" - something that would just have to have some sort of veggies put alongside it and...bingo....there's your main course for a dinner meal.

Say portions suitable for 2 and then it would do for a couple on the one hand or a single person to have two days running on the other hand.

mardatha

Katie - what about meals for the ill or housebound? I'd love that here but there is nothing.

greenbee

Sounds like you need to a. have some 'order forms' on the stall so people can write their names and requests down for you and b. do a survey/wish list/suggestion box to see what other things people would like.

I used to sell frozen meals to my work colleagues in one of my early jobs as an attempt to supplement my income. I'd take orders before the weekend and then arrange a weekday to bring them in when they'd bring their cold boxes etc. I think some of them were living off what I made... others were just using them for when they had people over and wanted a big casserole or something easy. Mind you, most of them didn't cook...

GF, veggie/vegan etc. means you're a prime source of food not only for regulars who eat that way but for people who have guests who eat this way and aren't sure how to cook for them. Do your labels include the information that the food hasn't previously been frozen and can/can't be and how to defrost/cook?

What about preserves that you can make at quiet times/from gluts to sell later? (You've probably thought of this already).

Mar's idea is great, as long as you have a way of delivering (and frozen might be the answer for that - weekly delivery on a specific day different to market day) and you'd have to charge a delivery fee and/or work with someone else who is also delivering locally.

culpepper

On hols in Cumbria this year, we saw a stall with tray bakes and it was all written out for allergy sufferers so I could see at once which cakes we could buy that I could eat (dairy intolerant), which had nuts, which had gluten. If we had lived there, we would have been back every weekend.
None of the other stalls was as informative and many of the cafes aren't either.
Some cafes don't even know whats in their offerings or whether the cakes they have made are made with dairy free 'marg' for example.

moneyistooshorttomention

greenbee wrote: »

GF, veggie/vegan etc. means you're a prime source of food not only for regulars who eat that way but for people who have guests who eat this way and aren't sure how to cook for them. Do your labels include the information that the food hasn't previously been frozen and can/can't be and how to defrost/cook?

Seconded on this thought - those who are struggling to find ready-prepared (but healthy and in accordance with their tastes) food in any restaurants/cafes in your area would be glad of a "meal out" when they couldnt find anywhere to have a suitable "meal out" that's actually out iyswim. So - something genuinely home-cooked and healthy and a bit "special" that they could just add some salad or something to. A sort of equivalent of Marks & Sparks "meal for 2 for £10" sort of set-up and all people had to do was have their own bottle of wine in their home. Mind you - if you were able to supply wine that was organic and/or vegan = bonus time.

Also it's surprising just how many people (and even owners of catering establishments) actually think it's acceptable to give a vegetarian, say, a roast dinner minus the meat element in this day and age:eek::eek::eek:. I'd read about that happening to some - but thought that attitude was in the history books by now - apparently it isnt. There are still people out there that will say "Wasnt it good of such and such eating out place to do a 'roast minus meat' and make vegetarian gravy to go with it specially for the vegetarian":rotfl::eek::rotfl::eek:. Oh really?:cool::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Katieowl

mardatha wrote: »

Katie - what about meals for the ill or housebound? I'd love that here but there is nothing.

Mmmm funnily enough I have pondered that one! Need to make some enquiries!

Katieowl

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Seconded on this thought - those who are struggling to find ready-prepared (but healthy and in accordance with their tastes) food in any restaurants/cafes in your area would be glad of a "meal out" when they couldnt find anywhere to have a suitable "meal out" that's actually out iyswim. So - something genuinely home-cooked and healthy and a bit "special" that they could just add some salad or something to. A sort of equivalent of Marks & Sparks "meal for 2 for £10" sort of set-up and all people had to do was have their own bottle of wine in their home. Mind you - if you were able to supply wine that was organic and/or vegan = bonus time.

Also it's surprising just how many people (and even owners of catering establishments) actually think it's acceptable to give a vegetarian, say, a roast dinner minus the meat element in this day and age:eek::eek::eek:. I'd read about that happening to some - but thought that attitude was in the history books by now - apparently it isnt. There are still people out there that will say "Wasnt it good of such and such eating out place to do a 'roast minus meat' and make vegetarian gravy to go with it specially for the vegetarian":rotfl::eek::rotfl::eek:. Oh really?:cool::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Even more shocking how many serving staff just blink at you like you asked for a side of woodlice if you ask what the GF options are!

Katieowl

I really appreciate all your input here by the way! I've got next week off, so hoping to have a good think and dredge through the cookbooks for idea. Will go armed with a few new signs I think.

Katieowl

I submitted my monthly online meter reading a few days ago.....and I've just had someone out to read the meter :rotfl: I said they would if it went down didn't I?

mardatha

It's nice to give them a shock isnt it lol