Decisions, decisions.......

[Jeanied]

I have been browsing their courses at Denman college - I really fancy the knife skills course!

[binley100]

That sounds highly dangerous Jeanie..........

[Jeanied]

Well a gal has to learn to defend herself

I mean when faced with a recalcitrant onion or two...

[binley100]

Update.......this morning I phoned and spoke to very nice lady at the Enviro.Health. It's all not as scarey as it would first seem as I'm making jams rather than oodles of meat pies. Soooo I think I may just go for it ........

[Two_Sheds]

Domestic approval doesn't need two sinks in the kitchen .

Oh, that's totally different to what my council told me ~ my friend sells cupcakes and she had to get a 2nd sink fitted in her kitchen.

[veggiechicken]

Yay!! Go for it...........You enjoy it, so do it!!!

[binley100]

Oh, that's totally different to what my council told me ~ my friend sells cupcakes and she had to get a 2nd sink fitted in her kitchen.

I asked about that ...if I didn't have a sink in the downstairs loo then they suggest a double sink in a domestic kitchen. Again depends on what type of home producing you're doing.

[Glutton4...]

Go for it!


But don't expect me to keep you supplied with jars!

[binley100]

Hehe thanks G4 .........I shall have to buy them along with the lids for selling on .

[Helgalush]

Great news, glad you are going to give it a go...if you need any taste-testers, let us know!

[bearded bloke]

^^^^^ Ditto ^^^^^ he smiled optimistically How could you resist a smile like that

You won't need it but,best wishes for your new adventure in life

[alldigging]

I'd say go for it!
The kitchen check is needed but isn't as bad to comply as you might think - but worth doing that bit first - if a new kitchen is needed then it might not be financially possible.
BUT .. you could always make enquiries of a commercial kitchen that's underused - make jams in the morning etc before they start using them. Might be a possibility.

I was reading in a bee book about reusing jars but getting new lids each time...

You could do extra special labels for personalising jams etc.

Research craft markets locally - and think about places like local bakeries/greengrocers/delis who might be happy to sell your products for you.
The more you can sell without you having to be there, the better.

A website is useful - and with a bit of work you can get local listings on google which is always good.

Think as much about where you'll sell as you do about making it.


Work out your costs (insurance, transport, fees for attending shows, % commission on out sales, hygiene certificate, jars, ingredients, cooking costs, your time! etc) and then work out how much per jar (assuming you can make X amount of jars a day) you have to sell to make enough money to make it worth while.

Basic accounts are easy - and a quick session with an accountant (or read lots of stuff) should help you work out what tax to pay. It's not hard but I hate doing figures so it's a real chore for me so I pay someone else to do my accounts)
Knowing what is a capital cost and what is non-capital one is important (running costs vs equipment) as they have different implications.

Hope some of that helps.

[Peas'n'Kews]

Hey, whatever you decide to do, I have found this thread most interesting, as I did a table top sale earlier this year and sold a lot of my surplus jam and chutney....

so if I ever decide to do it on a regular basis, I will know where to look for advice!

good luck, Bins.

[binley100]

.....and the deep cleaning has commenced ready for the inspection ....

[binley100]

Ok folks ......I am now legal . I am registered with the council and am allowed to trade , inspection will be following shortly and the nice lady from the EH dept is sending me a letter to prove to the craft fair organiser that I am registered etc etc........next step .... I need a name . Any ideas ?