Selling cakes

NickiM

Hi,
I am on my summer holidays from university at the moment and I really like baking. I was thinking whether there are any opportunities for selling cakes/fairy cakes/brownies/biscuits at events, and if so whether it is worth persuing. I don't want to set up my own permanent business per se, but I think it is something I would be interested in doing if it was worthwhile.
Any thoughts?
Nicki

nomoneytoday

Why not get a stall at a Farmers market?

If it doesn't work out it's only cost you £10-20 plus ingredients and if it does then you can move on and build it up

Giggly pig sausages did something similar around Essex and won a Business of the year type award (and taste great too)

moonrakerz

"Scare story" from The Times, 9 July 2004, page 5

"Crumbs, now home-made cake is dangerous – An EU directive may force full ingredients lists on all food retailers
If baking for the school or church fête was not onerous enough, the Government could soon ban home-made cakes from sale unless they carry a special label declaring whether they contain nuts."


This was denied by the (UK) Government........BUT...."The EU Directive .............requires food manufacturers to list 12 potentially allergic ingredients. The allergens include cereals containing gluten, fish, crustaceans, eggs, peanuts, soy, milk and dairy products, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seed, and sulphites. The list of allergenic food ingredients included in Annex IIIa will be reexamined and updated as required, on the basis of the most recent scientific knowledge."

This whole area is a minefield !

NickiM

Well at the moment I have a large stockpile of ingredients as I got given lots for my birthday. There is a local famers' market near me but I am not sure how I ask for a stall.

But then if I could be in trouble like how moonrakerz says. Do I need a license of any sort?

PasturesNew

I always thought any kitchen producing food for consumption by the public needed inspecting. This might not be true, just what I thought.

Idiophreak

Worth looking into - you could probably make a killing going round the local business parks etc too...

NickiM

I've done some Googling and a farmers' market (though that's not near me) requires everyone to have a Foundation Food Certificate...

"The law says that all food businesses must register their kitchens with their local authority unless they operate on a "casual and limited" basis only; so if you’re simply selling once in a blue moon at a car boot sale or market then you don’t need to worry. However, if you are planning on making some sort of income through this then contact your local council and ask them what the rules are in your area: oddly the laws vary depending on where you live. In some places you will need to become a registered trader even if you only sell your food once every couple of months.

If you do have to register your kitchen then it’s totally free and the council is obliged to accept your application. Be aware that if you are regularly selling food produce then it’s highly likely you’ll need to take a course in food hygiene. You can do this over the internet and it’ll cost you about £30. The course is mostly just common sense so it’s reasonably easy and you can complete it in your own time."

http://www.moneymagpie.com/article/cake-making-and-decorating-jams

learning_to_drive

If you are reputable enough, I would get these, even if they are not required as it shows at least you do care a little about safety and the customers.

matt1979_2

As has already been posted, i believe you need register your kitchen with the enviromental health dept of your local council and they will inspect it. You will also need to think about storage, transport and how you are actually going to sell the items - how you are going to set up and handle the food (with cakes it would be relatively simple as long as they stay covered and are handled with tongs or gloves.) This will also have to be inspected.
I considered starting somethin similar myself last year and found that the council were brilliant, if you tell them what you want to do they should work with you to help you achieve this. I was concerned that they would just tell me what I couldn't do and be trying to catch me out, I found they were actually keen to help me, if they said that I couldn't do something they explained what the problem was and helped find a way i could do it. They gave me a lot of advice, told me what I could do and how to do it. I seem to remember they sent through a form I needed to fill out, I didn't go ahead with it but I found them very helpful in all my dealings with them. You will need knowledge of basic food hygiene but this isn't a major problem - it's mainly common sense and you should find the right training easily and cheaply.
On the subject of venues, this i do know about as i do fete's, fairs, markets etc with craft items. You will probably need public liability insurance but this varies wildly from event to event - things like farmers markets in my experience do not demand it but a lot of fetes and all street markets will not let you book if you do not have it. I can't remember how much it costs but I'm sure it is under £100 a year. This covers you in these litigious times if someone has an accident at your stall - as you could be liable and possibly be sued.
Most of the venues i go to charge up to £30 for a 3m x 3m pitch - there are others that charge more but that is my limit for a pitch. One work of caution - a lot of places (not usually farmers markets) charge a premium for catering. Even just selling cakes you may be stung for a LOT more. I did an event last year where I had paid £15 for a pitch and next to me was someone selling chocolate who had been charged £150 for their pitch because it was food.
Obviously this seriously eats into your margins, and was one of the main reasons I did not go ahead.
As for finding venues personally I have found the vast majority of my venues on the internet. Google is brilliant, also useful are local council websites which list local events and BBC local radio sites also have a good listing of whats on.
Hope that helps.

NickiM

Thanks, that has been really helpful. I emailed the council and they have forwarded it onto the relevant department. Maybe it would be an adventure to think about in the future. Where can I get public liability insurance from?

nomoneytoday

If you need a "Cake Inspector" I am happy to try them

Good Luck !!