Baking/cooking

[daftmoo]

Hello my friends, have any of you out there ever cooked/baked to sell at carboots/fairs/farmers markets? if so what are the rules and regs? Is it possible to make a living from it?

I'm fed up being skint and stuck up at home. I've been on the dole for 18 months and there are just no jobs out there.

Thanks for looking and hoping someone can help

 

[phatmomma]

No idea, but i'm always happy to be your guinea pig lol xx

 

[dottychic]

No idea hun, last time I baked was in Domestic Science But good luck with it XX

 

[kateyloo]

Hello! I actually run a part-time cupcake and confectionary company and have sold at car boots in the past - sometimes you do ok and other times you can only sell a few - the trick is to bake things you can freeze so if you don't sell it one week you can sell it the next..... I have some great recipes if you would like me to share them - I also try and change the ingredients where possible to make them a little more 'fat' friendly.....

I am slightly worried as have just taken an order for 25 cupcakes 2 days after I am due to come out of hospital - I have a friend to help with the baking but I will have to do most of the decorating - I hope I am up to it! xx

 

[keeley86]

I love baking too I've been thinking about that myself, I'm
Not bad at making cakes so thaught about putting a sign on the front of the house as we live on a main road, if your good at it and your cakes/ buns are tasty you could build a business Hun, people tell friends and friends tell there friends, start off small and work ya way up, good luck xxx

 

[daftmoo]

Kattyloo are there any rules or regulations about cooking from home?

 

[kateyloo]

Not too many - just remember your gas/electric costs when working out your prices. You may want to consider getting a food hygiene certificate too - you can get them online and just have to do an online exam - cost is around £25 - most of it is already common sense though, like washing your hands and/or using gloves when preparing food and keeping raw meat below cooked etc....

I only do it as a part time thing (on top of my day job) to earn a few extra pennies, of which most have paid for my op actually, how ironic - great things to sell at car boots are the american style cookies and sponge cakes - thimngs people can eat there or transport home - you will probably find a lot of your customers are other sellers - good luck xxx

 

[nikster1975]

I bake from home too and all i've ever needed was my food hygiene certificate.... and Katyloo...take it easy after op i booked a cake for a week after op thinking it would be a doddle as it was an easy x-box cake ...yeah right I was buggered after......

 

[kateyloo]

Thanks for the heads up Nikki - I have a friend who is helping out and I am just going to supervise (make sure the decorating is to my standard) so hopefully I will be ok

I think I will pre-prepare my toppers so it's just a case of piping on the day xx

 

[nikster1975]

If you really need to take over from your friend (i'm a control freak and would be having a fit sat watching lol) make sure you use warmed butter for your butter icing...less effort to pipe and will cool and harden up (practice beforehand to find right temp as may get too wet)