A Thread for all UK bakers!! - Page 3

Loooove this thread already! im a uker!!! from the northeast! Find the american recipes SO hard to follow! so glad i found a uk one! wooooh! lol! love the cupcakes! Very beautiful!! will be checking back with this thread very soon!

ooooh hailinguk!
your cup cakes look gorgeous!!
love the roses!!
i'm so pleased for you that they arrived o.k ( and amazed to be honest!)

Hi,

Another UK Cupcaker here!!!

Can I ask, how did you send the cupcakes? Did you send special delivery?

Beckie

Another UKer here!

Am wondering... does anyone use Swiss meringue buttercream to ice cupcakes? I much prefer it to standard buttercream, but I am unsure of the storage implications (even though the egg whites get pasteurised) and also the SMB doesn't crust, so is more of a pain to handle finished cuppies.

Having said that, feedback on today's batch was that the SMB wasn't sweet enough, so perhaps I will admit defeat and just use regular buttercream!!

Hi, fantastic cupcakes

Kathryn

Thanks Hailinguk! I want to branch out and start offering mail order later in the year, but have yet to investigate! I know most of the cupcakerys that already do mail order seem to use special delivery, but hadn't actually 'spoken' to anyone that had used it!!!

Maybe I'll give it a go after Easter!!

Thanks

Beckie
x

Re the Environmental Health people.

I've been going about a year, and sell my cupcakes at Farmers Markets. When I registered the EHO man came round, had a very quick nose around the kitchen, and said (as everyone else has mentioned) that as I'm very low risk (even with two kids, two cats and a dog) my kitchen would be fine. He said I would be visited to be inspected properly at some point, but around here they CANNNOT just turn up on your doorstep, they have to give 24hrs notice.

My market stall was inspected just before Christmas and the EHO there said basically the same, as long as you have plenty of hand washing facilities, make sure you cakes are all up to temp when cooked, and do not have any cross contamination from stuff you'll be fine!!!!

I've got the Safer Business package, which I complete (usually after the event!) for when I bake, decorate, and do a market, which I basically just sign to say that I did my open and close checks and nothing else happened. The EHO was happy that that was enough.

Basically, what I'm saying is the paperwork although looks daunting, it isn't much more than common sense, and a lot of it doesn't apply (unless you are using fresh cream!)

Time to be nosey, how do you sell your cupcakes/cakes? Do you advertise? What are your fav suppliers in the uk (have to ask, couldn't bare it if I was missing out on something )?

Beckie

As well as the Enviro Health you need to check your house insurance covers business use and its a good idea to get Public Liability Insurance, just in case your stand falls on someone at a wedding or somesuch! And don't forget to tell the Tax Man!

I'm just starting out with a friend - we have a couple of wedding orders coming up and things are growing by word of mouth. We did a farmers Market as a test run and it went brilliantly so hoping so do some more over the summer.

Hi everyone.
I am usually a lurker (very shy ) but thought I would come out of hiding for this thread!
I don't sell my cakes just do them for family and friends etc but I was wondering for those of you that do can I ask if you have a 2 sink set up at home? I had heard that this was required for baking from home and selling cakes/cookies etc. But then to confuse me even more I think I read somewhere that a dishwasher can count as the place where you wash pots etc and then the main kitchen sink can be the handwashing facilities.
Can anyone enlighten me about this?
Thanks

Jenn

P.S.
Love the cupcakes by the way, I have a lovely moist recipe I have been using for a while if anyone would like it.

i have looked from afar at the concept of doing a cupcake stand at the local farmers market (prob the nearest would be Swindon) although my own town has a kind of small one as does other local towns but was put off by all the costs. Not sure if I am looking at it right but was reckoning costs for boxes bags for boxes, lables to seal boxes adn advertise self, cost of cakes and associated costs petrol, electricity, stand rental plus the fact the info I got said that all ingredients had to be locally sourced e.g. local farm eggs and also everything to be fair trade where possible, wastage costs...just couldn't figure where my profit would come in for the time making and selling them? I know some areas e.g. London will accept a £3 per cake price but in this area i would be VERy lucky to get £1.50 for a muffin sized cake decorated with buttercream and fondant etc. Would love to know what all of you think as none of my friends can really relate...think most think a cupcake should be 25p! LOL

Hi everyone

Hailing Uk glad your cupcakes arrived and they looked amazing, you must be so pleased.

Re: enviro checks I had mine yesterday and passed!!! I was so stressed but it went ok, just lots of questions and he checked my cupboards and fridge (it helps to do your food hygiene course first as it means you know all the answers and your fridge is in the right order). He asked if I had anti bac soap to wash my hands and I said it was in my downstairs loo (in the hall next to kitchen). I'm classing that as my handwashing sink and in the kitchen I have a main sink with a little one in the middle then a draining board, but no dish washer. I hope this helps. I am so happy it's over, he said I should only need a check every two years.

I'm also coverting an Agbay leveller but OMG the cost!!! Hoping I might get one for my birthday but didn't even think about tax... argh!!! I emailed Maureen at Agbay about shipping and it was about $40-$50.

Hope you're all ok.
Claire x

eilidh, I sell my cupcakes for £1.50 each at the markets, but only do buttercream swirly ones. It's never gonna make me enough to retire on, but what it does do is provide me with a good way of advertising the business. People take cards and look through the portfolio, and I'd say at least 70% of cake orders I get come from people seeing me at the market.

And apart from all that, I love it!!! I miss working in an office environment and getting to speak to different people every day, but doing the markets means I get to meet different people that see me as Beckie the cake maker rather than DS1 and 2's mum!

The other thing to mention is, if you are thinking of giving it a go, try contacting your local Small Business Enterprise people, as when I started I got a grant to help with initial costs!!!

Jenny, I don't have two sinks, it seems to vary so much from council to council what you can/can't do!

Hope you don't mind me jumping in and joining. Its great to see fellow UKers in one place. I love this site and have been snooping around for a while whilst I kind of found my feet so to speak (hence this is my first post)- so much information to take in, so much advice to follow and ohhhh so much still to learn.

I have been cake decorating for a while now - family, friends etc. but due to recent circumstances have decided that it is time to take it to a different level, so am trying to get everything in to place so that I can start selling some cakes instead of giving them away.

I have recently registered with environmental health after speaking with them on the phone, (okay I posted form back today). I have also contacted Inland Revenue who advised that I would be better waiting until the new tax year to register which isn't far away so I am going to wait. My next step is to look at insurance. Is anyone a member of BSG and do you use their insurance?

If there is anyone who has already gone through setting up their own home business or is in the process of it and is willing to share advice, information, support etc. I will readily take it. I of course will try to offer the same whenever and wherever I can.
I must admit though that I in total awe of a lot of people on this site and the incredible decorating skills that I have seen.

Sorry for the long first post and hello to everyone here, its nice to meet you. I hope that we can share experiences together.

hailinguk your cupcakes are beautiful, I would love to be able to make swirls like that

Thanks

This is my third attempt at a response, it keeps disappearing...???

Hi Cake Chaos, welcome to our world, it's fabulous on here and soooo addictive!

With regards to insurance I rang round a couple and ended up getting mine with Direct Line, it's really comprehensive but very reasonable. I've been going since July 08 and am getting really busy now I'm loving it. It's great doing something you love and getting paid for it... well am still waiting for the second half to feel real but I'll get there eventually. Whatever comes money wise seems to disappear far too quickly to make much impact but I'm hoping when my wedding cake orders kick in it might help.

Just let us know what questions you have, everyone on here is so nice and really helpful.

Claire