Selling homemade cakes and biscuits

trixiepix

I've been making cakes to order for friends and family for a couple of years, a few weeks ago i did my first school winter fayre selling cupcakes and made a fortune (well not quite!!) - i'd like to start doing the summer fayre/winter fayre's at schools next year but need advice on what to do from here.

I'm employed part time (office job) which i love and wouldn't want to give up but although the cake baking isn't a job as such i feel as though i should be more 'official' - i've yet to get my kitchen inspected as i'm due to move shortly and i'm going to arrange to get the new kitchen inspected and in turn hopefully issued with a hygiene cert (will be no problem i'm sure as i'm a cleanaholic).

Someone recently asked me to invoice them (duh?? - i'm not a business) and i'm kinda stuck between it being more than just occasional baking but no where close to making a living from it.

If i make it official then presumably it would entail 'creating' a business/tax/ public liability insurance etc - which scares the life out of me - plus it would all cost more than i would earn - should i take out public liability insurance just incase??? should i be declaring my earnings???, can i register my kitchen with the local authority without being a business??? - my head is spinning at the moment!!!!

Thanx

Scubabe

Hi trixiepix,
As this is an old thread, your questions are best answered in the current thread "Cash from Baking"
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2167151
I suggest you re-post your questions in there as that thread is full of people in the same boat as you
Good luck!

Brit-Wifey

Don't know if anyone is still reading this or not, but I have a question. My local council owns several venues that have kitchens, bars etc. to hire for functions. If I wanted to bake {to sell} at my local market {also within the same council area} how would it work if I hired their venue (kitchen) out weekly?? Surely they are already up to spec. if they are allowing people to hire them out. I could ask Environmental Health to check my kitchen, but after reading all of this, it seems to be too much trouble + I have 2 cats. I am thinking that it would be easier to pay the £35.00-£40.00 for the venue, overnight.....bake myself to death, then go to the market the following day. Ideas? Suggestions? Everyone keeps telling me to open my own bakery etc, but there is no £££ to do that and an industrial unit costs too much as well......