Are Cake Sheds a thing in your town?

[ChickpeasOnEarth]

In the last few months there have been 9 cake sheds pop up in my small town - where people are selling homemade cakes from their front garden with an honesty box. According to their social media pages they are really popular, which is great as I love to support small businesses.
Trends like this fascinate me, and I wonder how long they will last once the novelty wears off.
Is it a current thing across the whole country?

There are a few online with competitive prices, dough girl is one x

There was a US baker on instagram claiming to have set up one in her front garden , most of it was a lie and just a route for selling "how to make money courses" which is really a course on "how to sell courses to make money"
The whole thing was fake and she got called out on it

Yes one around our way but it only has very dull brownies or some vegan shite in it. Sick of seeing her on the community page waffling on as if she’s reinvented the wheel.

Yes, there’s a cute one near me that sells cakes and jam etc on Saturday mornings.

We’re about 5 miles from town and the cake shed is on a little country side road but is very popular through word of mouth.

One near me and I'm in a very built up area so it seems quite unexpected.
I've never investigated it but I did wonder how cakes in a mini shed coped during the heatwave!

We get people selling free-range eggs, home-grown fruit & veg, bunches of flowers, tomato plants and jars of honey round here.

Not in my town sadly, but in the villages on the outskirts.
Sadly, they seem to be easy targets for theft. One posted CCTV recently of someone taking their entire stock, and sticking their middle finger up to the CCTV before doing it.

There’s three cake sheds around here one is within walking distance and the other two are in villages about 10 minute drive away. I know of 4 local honey honest boxes two of them will deliver locally. There’s also three egg places and during the warmer month fruit is left out for you to help yourself to.

Or 'paying' with foreign coins, which someone did to a cake shed near me.

There is a bread shed near me, with loaves for £5.50! For a loaf baked by an amateur in their home kitchen who may or may not have a food hygiene rating

Some might not have hygiene training but a lot will. There's one near me. Does very well apparently.

Are you in Blakeney @HesarealJacquelineHigh?

There are several within a few miles where I live (west coast Scotland) there are also many egg sheds, some of them sell both eggs and cakes, also honey and veg. One that is on my favourite cycle route also sells properly cold drinks and ice lollies. All of them have cameras now because they had money or goods gone missing.

I doubt people with known allergies would go to a cake shed.

Agreed. My children have severe allergies and there is no way I would risk buying from somewhere like that.

When we lived in the countryside we had one of these for homegrown veg and fruit that was surplus. Was lovely.

we are back in London now and I just watched someone deliberately throw a recycling bin into the middle of the road so doubt a ‘cake shed’ would last 5 mins

Surely they are meant to have hygiene checks and insurance policies as they are baking for the public right?

Couple near me. One of them has already been raided by someone who took everything without paying.

I personally wouldn't buy from one, especially if the cake has been in an outdoor cupboard in this heat.

Agree, anyone with severe allergies shouldn’t be taking a risk like that. I’d love a cake shed personally!

our local ones have a number of thieves

Tons. Also eggs, sourdough, craft items. I live in a very rural area that’s popular with tourists. I sell my stuff to known customers rather than farm gate. My cousin has had things stolen (only in the summer, tourist season. No issues in winter)

The one I know in Norfolk is only stocked at the weekend, all ingredients are labelled on the professional wrappings just as if you had purchased from Sainsbury's or M&S, the owner has a 5* hygiene rating and deserts are all kept in a fridge. She ran a cake shop, gave it up, and now just does this at weekends. It's really excellent, though I would say it's normal shop prices, not cheap at all which is fine. You can follow her on Insta to see what she's making for each weekend.

If you're anywhere near Balfron, @Igneococcus , Lou's Bake Stop is brilliant, usually only open on a weekend.

Yes we have loads. A new one opening at least once a week.

I'm just outside Oban but I will look out for it next time I'm in that area. I have a friend in Balloch who I visit a few times a year.
There used to be a really good one at the roundabout in Crianlarich but it's gone. I know there was a problem with theft and it looks like the woman who ran it gave up in the end.