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Original poster

School Fayre - how much for a homemade mince pie?

40 replies

PylonsPylonsPylons · 03/12/2018 08:04

What would you say is a fair price for a smallhome made mince pie?
Don't want to sell them too cheap but don't want to overcharge so asking for opinions.

OP posts:
DocusDiplo · 03/12/2018 08:06

If i knew it was Homemade i would pay £1 but i am generous with these things as its for the school not for the food.
50p more realistic.

EmbraRocks · 03/12/2018 08:08

75p!

EmpressJewel · 03/12/2018 08:22

50p -£1.

We had our Christmas fete this weekend and we find stuff only sells if it is cheap (our school isn't in a wealthy area).

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Sillysausageshi · 03/12/2018 08:23

50p

LaurieFairyCake · 03/12/2018 08:25

£2.50-£3

Cafe prices.

I'm still sore at 10 years ago making cupcakes with all organic ingredients and them selling them for 10p ! (They cost £1.25 each to make)

LaurieFairyCake · 03/12/2018 08:26

They were massive by the way - those huge ones you pay £3 for at nice cupcake shops

Cakeandslippers · 03/12/2018 08:27

50p-75p

GoldenHoops · 03/12/2018 08:29

I was going to say 25/30p.

Lovelydovey · 03/12/2018 08:29

30p at ours. But then I want all donations to sell and not be left with cake at the end. Fairy cake sized cakes = 30p; muffin sized cakes = 50p; elaborately decorated muffins = £1. And I half the prices an hour before the fair finishes.

Sirzy · 03/12/2018 08:30

25p at ours at the weekend.

Beamur · 03/12/2018 08:32

Small mince pie? Even homemade I wouldn't want to pay much more than 50p - £1 max if I was feeling generous. No way would I pay proper cafe prices.

Hushnownobodycares · 03/12/2018 08:34

Start at 50p then reduce progressively if they don't sell or there's a lot left and it's getting towards the end #The Apprentice #LordS'rAlan Wink

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 03/12/2018 08:35

How much did the ingredients cost you?

It may work out more beneficial from a fundraising point of view to give a packet of mince pies and the extra cash you would have spent on the ingredients.

I wouldn't pay more than about 50p-£1 for a mince pie at a school fete. I wouldn't pay £2.50 for a mince pie in Pret, but even if I would I wouldn't pay the same at a school fete - it's the surroundings you're paying for at Pret.

HappyEverIftar · 03/12/2018 08:36

I'd pay 50p for a small mince pie

duriandurian · 03/12/2018 08:40

Our, private, school was charging 20p for beautiful mince pies. I wept a bit inside for the person who made them. Huge slices of amazing cakes for 50p. I have learnt to make cheap stuff to donate as no point crafting something expensively wholesome for buttons.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 03/12/2018 08:44

You need to cost out how much they cost to make and decide if it is worth it. They don't usually sell for more than about 50p so cafe prices are not realistic as you just end up having to discount them. In Laurie's case the school would have been better off asking for £1.15 donation from her. Most people at a Christmas fair won't distinguish between shop bought and homemade although there will be subgroups who will only eat shop made and maybe others who would only eat homemade.

I reckon you probably need to aim to source cakes for no more than 25p each and sell for 50p. Although the school doesn't pay the 25p you need to consider for those bringing them in that it is discouraging if they are sold below cost price.

The only exception to this is for gluten free/ nut free/ dairy free where it might cost more to source than the profit however they are more for the sake of inclusivity than profit.

underneaththeash · 03/12/2018 09:01

50p or £1, you don't want to have to have small change in any of your floats. Make all stalls divisible by 50p.

28282ooooh · 03/12/2018 09:03

20p - 50p depending on how many you have and how desperate you are to shift them.
You don't want to overprice and then be left with them all.

IceRebel · 03/12/2018 09:06

20-30p, I would be shocked at being charged £1 even if homemade.

Fairenuff · 03/12/2018 09:18

It doesn't matter what they cost to make, you are basically donating that money plus your time.

Is the sale during the day or after school? If daytime, children will be taken by the staff to buy cakes and will mostly have £1 to spend. They will be more drawn to cupcakes and crispy chocolate reindeer shapes so yours might not sell.

If it's after school, some parents may buy them but, again, they will mostly buy for their children.

So based on all that, I would say 20p unless you're happy to take them home again and eat them yourself.

SnuggyBuggy · 03/12/2018 09:21

Maybe do some deals like 50p each or 6 for £2

RangeRider · 03/12/2018 09:26

Cafe prices are set higher because you're paying towards the rent of the place where you sit down, the heat & light, the insurance, the wages of the people etc. You can't charge the same at a school Christmas fayre because you're not incurring those costs as a business (any costs at home are your donation - you're not getting the money to pay for YOUR costs but for the school)

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 03/12/2018 09:52

It doesn't matter what they cost to make, you are basically donating that money plus your time.

It does because if they cost £1.25 to make and are sold for 10p then it would make more sense to donate the £1.25 and save the money, time and effort in making them. The school would have £1.25 rather than 10p. It does depend on what OP's role is and why they are asking the question but as a general rule it is not worth charging less than it costs to make them otherwise people donating get annoyed and donate less. Personally I for cake sales I buy a pack of 12 plain cakes, bung some icing and Smarties on and they cost about 10-15p to make (depending on how many Smarties!). The school can then make £6 for my initial outlay of £1.50. For mince pies buy a pack of 6 for a pound (17p each) then sell them for 50p. This means it is better for me to bring cakes than donate £1.50. If LaurieFairyCake bought in her lovely cupcakes it would cost her £15 to make 12 and the school sells them for £1.20. It would make more sense for the school to have asked her for a £14 donation!

Fairenuff · 03/12/2018 10:02

I agree. But the school cannot ask people to just bring in £1.25 for no reason. So they ask for cakes to sell instead. If a person chooses to spend a fortune making them that's up to them but if they try to reflect that in the cost no one will buy them. So it's a big old waste of time and money all round.

I agree with blinging up cheap cakes as the most cost effective.

ClaudiaWankleman · 03/12/2018 10:09

20-30p, I would be shocked at being charged £1 even if homemade

I would think a pound is quite reasonable. You can't get much for 20p nowadays - why should a fundraiser be any different?
MN is such a raise to the bottom on these threads.