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A few months back I got off at Arsenal tube station and saw all the stands & stalls inside peoples front gardens and thought it was a great idea! I would love to do this in the spring and summer months but wondered if I need any permits or licenses?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Cristo -
I'm pretty sure you would need some form of food and hygiene certificate/authorisation for the kitchen where you make what you are going to sell. I reckon you could get away with it though, the Environmental Health Officers seem quite few and far between judging by the number of very dirty establishments in London.
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You could probably buy some rubbish food from somewhere quite cheap and re-sell it at inflated and extortionate prices to starving Arsenal supporters, no questions asked.
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It's quite complicated but, if you're selling to the public (ie anyone outside of your immediate circle of friends and family), you'll need to register with the council and have your premises and equipment audited before you can legally trade. You'll also need to do a food hygiene course and demonstrate an audit trail for all your suppliers of ingredients and prove you have checked their hygiene worthiness. You should be able to get information from the library or the council's Environmental Health Officer.
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Misscara, what about e.g. school fairs and suchlike? I know parents bake cakes etc. for the Stroud Green School fair, and presumably they don't have to go through council checks and audits - and since the fair is open to the public, I don't imagine such an event would qualify as friends and family only?
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Re. fairs and one-off events etc you'd have to ask the EHO, I simply don't know the answer to that one, I would imagine something to do with it being so small-scale and unregulatable (if that's a word?). But it doesn't change the fact that there ARE laws that you would have to adhere to should you wish to set up a food business in your home (and rightly so).
Considering that breech of the Food safety Laws these days can result in several thousand pounds fine or even a prison sentence, I'd advise you to do things properly and stay on the right side of the EHO. In my experience they have never been anything other than helpful and encouraging and ultimately are there to protect the public. -
Thank you all for your input...I've been doing some research today and seems not to be so complicated after all. Will make some more calls tomorrow and keep you posted.
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I know someone who did this from her home and she said it was rather complex, that was in Sussex though so perhaps it varies from council to council (or simply because London EHO's are overwhelmed). I have a lot of experience in this area as a manager in the industry for more than 12 years so if you would like some advice on the basics to get set up give me a shout. Good luck!
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Thanks misscara, I will do. I'm just double checking some info with the council tomorrow so will drop you a line. Cheers - Cristo
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cristo, are you Islington? I'll be very interested to hear what they say, and I'll be contacting Haringey.
Misscara - I don't want to set up a biz doing this, but am wondering what the implications are for the WI...so I'll check with the the EHO.
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cristo, found this article online - might be of use to you in your discussions with the council.
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if you live in Lorne Road your shop would be very welcome - we need more cakes round here!
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@ChangN4N6, when I have a handle on the food regs, the WI will hopefully become a local source of excellent baked goods!
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