Does anyone sell home-baked goods to earn a little extra cash?

[99redballoons]

Hi, have been thinking I might try selling my home-baked cakes locally to earn a little extra cash. Has anyone done this? I'm not expecting to make millions, but is it worth the effort? I really enjoy baking and think I can fit it in between the nursery and school runs! Any advice appreciated.

Think this is a brilliant idea - you could do wheat free cakes, etc. for allergy suffers, etc.
Someone I know did this and was very successful by selling to local cafes. Can't remember the details but thought it was a good idea then.

Good luck!

Hi FeelingEvil

Yes, was thinking about wheat-free and there's a big demand for eggless cakes near me too.

Not sure where to start really. Just trying out a few fool-proof recipies and I guess I'll take some samples for taste testing with potential buyers/stockists. I know I have to register myself with the council, but other than that I'm not sure what else I need to do to comply with regulations. Nor do I know what to cost things at... lots to think about!

Would be great to hear from anyone who has tried this.

My sister does this and makes around £50 a week now. She assed herfood hygiene exams and joined the WI! She is only 37!!!!!! The youngest one there oviously. She sells her stuff in the local farmers market and a teashop have enquired about her cooking. Things that sell well are cheese savoury sticks, cheese and tomato rolls (you know thm ones wrapped in pastry), toad in the hole in individual portions, muffins, cherry and coconut and chocolate. Anything goes really. Go for it I say!

I did something similar last year, baking for a friend who did a sandwich round, but the cost of ingredients went up to the point where i was alot more profitable for her to buy pastries and cakes from the wholesaler than to pay me.

Fat free fruit loaf was the easiest to make, and biggest profit.
She priced at £1 a slice (big slices, 8 from a loaf/tray bake)

The kitchen had to be inspected, and food hygiene test passed, but the council department (can't rememvber which one now) were very helpful, so I'd start by contacting them.

Good luck. I enjoyed doing it, and for the time we did it, we both made money, so I'm sure if you sold direct you could too.

Thanks for the further replies. Have definitely decided to start small (local) and then see what happens. Really think I can fit it in between school runs as and when. Going to specialise in brownies and blondies and other lovely 'slices' rather than cakes. It's all very exciting, but am totally realistic in knowing it's not going to be a big earner. Just glad to start using my brain a bit more than remembering to make the pack lunches the night before..!

Hi, im not stalking you honestly! Just posted on your thread about Brothers & Sisters. Do you have a recipe for blondies that you could let me have? We went to a party recently and had some there that were gorgeous! Thanks

Hi Karen03

I have a fave blondie recipe, with macadamia nuts and raspberries... will type it out later for you (it's from the Women's Weekly Biscuits, Brownies & Biscotti book, which is brilliant btw).

Can do it via CAT (contact another mumsnetter) if you've subscribed to it. Mine is out of date atm.

Would be very grateful if you could type it out for me . The ones at the party had raspberries in and were so nice! I love baking but had never heard of blondies. Havent got CAT (not sure what it is!) Thanks

Hi Karen, blondies are brownies with white chocolate- toffee or caramel ones are the most common. This one is just that bit different, very yummy but very fattening (15g fat per piece!)!

125g chopped butter
200g white eating choc
165g caster sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
110g plain flour
75g self raising flour
100g white eating choc, chopped, extra
75g macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped coarsely
150g fresh or frozen raspberries (do not defrost berries if frozen)
1 tbsp icing sugar to dust

Preheat oven to 180, grease 23cm square tin, line base and sides.
Melt the butter and 200g choc in medium pan over a low heat. do not boil. cool until just warm.
Stir in egg, sugar, sifted flours, extra chopped choc, nuts and raspberries (add last). Spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 40mins or until firm. Cool in pan. Cut into nine squares then halve diagonally to form 18 triangles. dust blondies with sifted icing sugar.
Yummy!
(do not over stir once the raspberries are in or it turns the mixture pink. Also can sub the nuts for pecans or hazelnuts. Also can sub raspberries for frozen berry mix.)

Hope they work for you... these are my favourite!

Contact your local council, they will most likely be very herlpful. You may need to think about labels and ingredient lists and nutritional info depending on how you sell them (the legislation is rather complicated as I found out lol). I have to supply this for all my products, but that is because they are frozen. If I make something to order I don't need to. Trading standards are also very helpful.

You can get a food and hygiene certificate online, it's quite simple really. They will send you the test to do and send back.

Have you thought about advertisinig yet and how you will do that?

Good luck, it's very exciting!

Hi OMDB So what do you make/sell?

I have found the online certificates and will complete one of those. Still deciding on a business name and will then contact the council. All the good ones have been taken even though they don't have a website.. very frustrating!

Haven't yet thought about advertising in great detail. My bil is a web designer and has offered to do something for me, but to start with I was just thinking of a basic page with products and how to order. A few friends have offered to have my business cards next to my party offerings (brownies, cupcakes, whatever) which is nice. I don't want things to happen too quickly as I'm still deciding on recipes etc. so this is as far as I've gotten so far.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Think I may have a 'blondie' all wrong.. it might be a brownie like cake without chocolate.. not 100% sure now! Lol.

Hello 99redballons, I was just wondering if you'd started doing this and if so how it's going. I love baking and have been thinking the same