Home catering business - what good advice can you offer?

[climbingrosie]

I'm in the process of starting up a catering business from home and would really appreciate advice and stories from mums out there who have already done this or are sauccessfully running a catering business from home. Please tell me it is possible and worth it!

I have qualifications and experience of working in kitchens, I have a passion for cooking, a very big kitchen and another room off it for storage and prep etc., have done loads of market research and found a gap in the market here, but sometimes it all feels very daunting and scary! I'm risking a lot!!!

Just wanted other people's opinions and advice, and success stories etc.!

anyone?.........

Good luck, I have no experience myself, but am sure you will to register as a food business if you haven't done so already. AS childminders we are supposed to register now.

No advice but just lots of luck

Have you already catered for people who will recommend you to friends.
I would put together a folder with all you qualifications in and hygiene certificates etc.
Would you be able to set up a day were people can come and see what you do and have free samples.
What kind of catering are you doing ?

you will need a food health and hygiene certificate, you will need to be inspected by environmental health, and you will have to adhere to very strict guidelines with relation to your food preparation area. e.g. if you have pets they must not come into your kitchen, under any circumstances.

you will also need liability insurance to cover you in the event a customer fell ill after eating something you had prepared.

I have a friend who is a chef and who says he would never set up his own catering business because the health and hygiene guidelines are just so stringent.

I wish you every luck though.

Thank you everyone for all the good advice!

Hmmm yes the health and hygeine guidelines are very stringent but fingers crossed I will do everything correctly!

I have a food hygeine certificate, health and safety certificate, and HACCP certificate, am registering with the local council now, and have public liability and product liability insurance, so hopefully have all the basics covered!

Heavenis thanks for the tips, yes I have quite a few people whom I already cater for who will recommend me to friends, that is how the idea started really, just doing favours for busy friends, now their friends are waiting for me to be set up officially so they can start ordering too.

Basically I make healthy meals to order and deliver locally, but don't want to give too much away at this stage!

Thanks for all the luck from everyone...Sometimes I think I am mad, but if I never try this I will always be wondering...

Maybe some others will share their experiences here soon, I know they are out there!

So if your doing healthy meals could you set up something at a local gym. See if they'd let you go in and demonstrate what you do or leave leaflet.
In our local paper they have a business section one day a week if your paper does the same maybe you could get them to do a piece on your venture.

great advice Heavenis! Hadn't thought of the gym, there are loads around here, even getting my leaflets in them would be wondeful.

Thank you, much appreciated!

Hope you are near me-I would love to order!

Cool, well when I launch in Feb I will put a notice in the small business section of mumsnet so everyone will know!

Where are you? I'm looking for one in Glasgow for my DH's 40th in March, and I'm struggling to find anyone who will do anything more than a simple sandwich buffet, which isn't what I want.

I see you are already registered and have had contact with all the different agencies, my advise would have been don't be frightened to talk to the likes of environmental health etc. On the whole I have found them helpful and genuinely interested in my business. I was terrifed when Environmental Health were coming out to the house, he was really nice and spent most of the time chatting about similar businesses and really wanted to help.

Skribble thank you for that, you have reassured me a little as although I am in contact with environmental health I'm still a bit scared about when they actually come to inspect my house! I used to be a teacher though so am used to Ofsted inspectors...

MrsMuddle sorry you're having trouble finding anyone who does more varied food than sandwich buffets! I'm afraid I'm in the South East, but have you thought about using one of the online catering businesses? Or even COOK? Most of these places deliver nationwide if you are willing to pay for delivery (which can be quite high sometimes!)

work out what you are going to do with the containers in which you deliver
I used to ask clients to put them in the dishwasher and hand them back next time clean. Some did some didn't and I should have factored in the cost for those that didn't and bumped up the price a little

Don't ever do weddings for friends. Just don't do it. Too emotive. Take my advice.

You will need to get a fridge just for your catering stock and it will need to have a digital temperature display.

You may need to have a sheet printed out of all, and I mean, all the indgredients in all your products. When I delivered quiches and soups and cakes etc (to an art gallery in what is now JO's 15 - yes she gets in a name drop!) I had to label everything comprehensively. You may need to do the same if your are supplying items for resale.

Timing - Get pushing for Valentine's day now. Work out a deliverable three course menu with minimum reheating and plating fuss and push it on your friends - like restaurant quality food and presentation without having to get a sitter.

God, it's a good job I 'm not self employed anymore or in the UK or I'd have to charge for this advice. tee hee

Following on from the gym suggestion - if the meals are healthy why don't you contact your local slimming groups - takeaways are on of the things most missed on diets. You'll probably find there are at least as many people at slimming clubs as gyms in your area.

sunnywong-Thanks for the great advice, yes I can emagine catering at friends weddings would be a recipe for disaster really!
I have worked packaging costs into the prices, and have a seperate fridge and freezer for work. Most of my products will be frozen, so people order a selection of meals and then store them in their freezers and just pop them in the oven when they want them, or there will be a fresh option for family size meals which will be marketted as an alternative to the usual take-outs.

chopchopbusybusy thanks for your suggestions too, although my meals are all healthy and definately lower in fat etc.than take-outs, they are not necessarily low enough in calories that they would help slimmers, maybe it is something I should look into and have low calorie options available too...

You have all given me lots to think about, thank you!

Now I need to get back to the bank which have just sent me my business cards with a mistake in the name!!grrrrrrr

very interesting
what area are you in?

I would be genuinely interested to hear how you get on. Before I had the kids I had moved in to the family meals things. Couldn't compete with Waitrose in Temple Fortune thought.

Good luck and if I can be of any help do let me know.

Thanks sunnywong. So are you still catering or did you move on? I would love to hear more from you, just to speak to someone else who has been there would be great.

I do think the supermarkets will be my main competitors, which is why I'm offering custom-made options (they effectively give me their recipes and I make it) and organic options. We will see. I'm in a wealthy area of east anglia where people are definately cash rich but time poor. Hopefully I will market it right to appeal to them.

I live in Australia now, I was catering in North London 7 years ago (shit that's a long time).

I would advise targeting special dietary needs, you know, all the intolerants etc etc.... blinking goldmine.

You can always CAT me if you want to but I may be slightly behind the times.