Health inspection for home choc business in UK

[martin0642]

Hi folks - does anyone have any experience of running a chocolate business from home in the UK? Specifically - any issues that came up with regard to using a domestic kitchen for production. I'm doing my Level 2 Food Safety now and I used to be a chef so I'm pretty on the ball with safe food handling processes - however..that's coming from the perspective of having custom built kitchens with tiled floors/walls, benches I can pull away to clean behind etc etc. 

 

I don't have pets so that's not an issue...anything else?

[Je33]

Hey Martin- I started just less than a year ago and similar background of being a chef turned chocolatier in the UK. Just be as exacting as you would be in a kitchen and keep things separate where possible- storage to cut down cross contamination etc. The best way to do it is a really thorough food risk assessment and limit where possible the risk. 

[martin0642]

Thank you for this - I didn't get notified of any replies so sorry for the late reply to you. That's pretty much what I was thinking really. My biggest issue would probably be having chocolate grinding/refining whilst I'm making my own food. It's covered but I obviously have to show I'm aware of the risk...especially given the temperature it's at.

 

Otherwise i'm hopefully good to go fairly soon.

 

Where are you selling at the moment? Markets? WHolesale?

[Kerry Beal]

Have no idea if this would be useful to you - but I thought it covers things nicely for the UK.

 

http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sfbb-caterers-pack.pdf

 

Not sure about use of home though.

 

 

[martin0642]

14 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Have no idea if this would be useful to you - but I thought it covers things nicely for the UK.

 

http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sfbb-caterers-pack.pdf

 

Not sure about use of home though.

 

 

 

Thank you Kerry - tell me...how do you find time to respond to everything on here so completely..AND run a business/home/etc. Does Canada have more hours in the day than us all of a sudden? :~) Your input is, as ever. much appreciated

[Anna N]

5 hours ago, martin0642 said:

 

Thank you Kerry - tell me...how do you find time to respond to everything on here so completely..AND run a business/home/etc. Does Canada have more hours in the day than us all of a sudden? :~) Your input is, as ever. much appreciated

Not to mention that she has a day job!  Those of us who know her personally believe she came from the same planet as Superman and was endowed with almost the same powers. 

[martin0642]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Not to mention that she has a day job!  Those of us who know her personally believe she came from the same planet as Superman and was endowed with almost the same powers. 

 

I'm kinda starting to believe that....

[Kerry Beal]

As I'm sure I've mentioned on eG before - I am fatiguable! Stubborn though - hate to give in to it. What's the line 'Life is short - hurry!'

 

Anyway I'm the shelf life course tutor on Ecole Chocolat - a student mentioned that UK hygiene pack the other day and asked if there was something similar in the US. I really liked the look of the program so it stuck in my mind. Someone needs to write something similar for NA but it isn't going to be me!

[Je33]

On 2 February 2016 at 0:54 AM, martin0642 said:

Thank you for this - I didn't get notified of any replies so sorry for the late reply to you. That's pretty much what I was thinking really. My biggest issue would probably be having chocolate grinding/refining whilst I'm making my own food. It's covered but I obviously have to show I'm aware of the risk...especially given the temperature it's at.

 

Otherwise i'm hopefully good to go fairly soon.

 

Where are you selling at the moment? Markets? WHolesale?

When I making anything in the kitchen I treat it as If it's the first time every time. Basically I remove as much 'home' stuff as possible and then sanitize everything so the risk of cross contamination is controlled. I wouldn't recommend preparing bean-to-bar at the same time you are preparing anything else, cross contamination would be a worry but also your products will be affected. Temp fluctuations, moisture etc will more than likely have an impact and also reduce the likelihood of a consistent product 

sorry it's not very helpful but ideally you need a space to just let a grinder do its magic 

[martin0642]

On 2/4/2016 at 1:24 AM, Je33 said:

When I making anything in the kitchen I treat it as If it's the first time every time. Basically I remove as much 'home' stuff as possible and then sanitize everything so the risk of cross contamination is controlled. I wouldn't recommend preparing bean-to-bar at the same time you are preparing anything else, cross contamination would be a worry but also your products will be affected. Temp fluctuations, moisture etc will more than likely have an impact and also reduce the likelihood of a consistent product 

sorry it's not very helpful but ideally you need a space to just let a grinder do its magic 

 

I hear what you're saying about the bean to bar thing - so far it's been fine but I do have to plan ahead so there aren't huge temperature fluctuations in there at the moment and humidity isn't a problem right now. I'm hoping to have a better place for prep by the time summer hits though! 

 

And yes - I'm doing basically the samr thing in terms of removing home stuff. Tricky, but doable...good excuse to have a purge of unecessary stuff!

[Je33]

Keep an eye out on eBay for an air conditioner! I thought I'd be fine and then the random hot few days that England surprises us  with really made it impossible.

 

Oh I do markets and wholesale too !