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do people really pay £3 for a bog standard brownie?


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Old 19-12-2016, 11:22
Steve9214
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There is no legal requirement to wear a hairnet to make a cake. Especially when working in what is essentially a home kitchen.
Erm..... https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/defaul...idebooklet.pdf
Page 13

The legal requirement is as follows:

Every person working in a food-handling area must
maintain a high level of personal cleanliness. He or she
must wear suitable, clean clothing and, where necessary,
protective clothing.
The specific "advice" about head coverings reads as follows:

> Staff should keep hair tied back and wear a suitable head
covering, e.g. hat or hairnet, when preparing food.
It may only be "advice" specifically about hairnets, but woe betide anyone not following the guidelines.

You need to demonstrate "due diligence" that you have taken every effort to prevent contamination (hairs are a major issue). Staff wearing hairnets at all time is the only way you can claim you have done this

There is also no such thing as a "home kitchen".
If you are making products for sale to the Public - you HAVE to comply with all Food Safety and Hygiene laws and Regulations.
Your Food production premises have to be registered with the local EHO.
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:25
Matt_Harbinson
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I liked Alana but her idea wasn't special; as mentioned her recipes and cakes weren't anything an independent bakery or deli couldn't make themselves. She has also been in the business for a number of years and it has stayed small scale and a market trading business. I think if she was to open a number of shops in London or something, it would have made more sense but would still be risky. I'm very surprised Lord Sugar went for it.
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:30
lammtarra
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I know Aberystwyth pretty well, the town Alana lives near to. You could definitely get some units on the industrial estate there pretty cheaply. The council really want those kind of businesses in Aber.
The main problem with Aberystwyth is it is miles away from most of the rest of Britain, which means distribution costs are higher, and for freshly baked cakes, precious shelf-time is wasted in the back of a lorry.
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Old 19-12-2016, 13:01
walterwhite
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Erm..... https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/defaul...idebooklet.pdf
Page 13

The legal requirement is as follows:



The specific "advice" about head coverings reads as follows:



It may only be "advice" specifically about hairnets, but woe betide anyone not following the guidelines.

You need to demonstrate "due diligence" that you have taken every effort to prevent contamination (hairs are a major issue). Staff wearing hairnets at all time is the only way you can claim you have done this

There is also no such thing as a "home kitchen".
If you are making products for sale to the Public - you HAVE to comply with all Food Safety and Hygiene laws and Regulations.
Your Food production premises have to be registered with the local EHO.
Like I said, it's advice and not a legal requirement.
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Old 19-12-2016, 13:16
lammtarra
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Alana needs a Dragon not a Tech and Property investor.

Deborah Meaden already part owns a wholesale Luxury large cake business in Huddersfield.
She would get Alana into their premises - use their distribution - freeze the cakes (instantly solving short shelf life issues), cheaper raw materials etc etc

Flogging at Festivals is a great premium way to sell stuff for the maximum price, so a Dragon would expand this side of things to do more festivals all over the Country.
Deborah Meaden paid £50,000 for 25 per cent of the Huddersfield cake firm. Tbh I do not remember this from Dragons Den but looked it up after you mentioned it.
http://www.deborahmeaden.com/investment/propermaid
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:15
tle041
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Alana's only hope of making any money and keep Sugg's financing from being flushed down the toilet is if she used that cash to open a high-visibility shop with in a highly-populated/touristy area. She should also try to ride out this Apprentice attention as long as she can, and once her brand is developed, then she could continue to sell.

Selling her wares to retailers for 1 quid each isn't going to be close to covering her overheads let alone bring in any returns for her and Allen Sugar. Her business plan is nonsense.
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:36
treetree
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i think he chose Alana because LAS thinks baking is the newest big trend - especially seeing bake off do so well and also seeing the likes of Levi Roots walk into the Dragons Den and turn Reggi Reggi Sauce from a one man - sell it at carnival Business to the great all singing , all dancing products that are on the shelves

However i cant see Alana being the next levi roots can you ?
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:39
francie
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Alana's only hope of making any money and keep Sugg's financing from being flushed down the toilet is if she used that cash to open a high-visibility shop with in a highly-populated/touristy area. She should also try to ride out this Apprentice attention as long as she can, and once her brand is developed, then she could continue to sell.

Selling her wares to retailers for 1 quid each isn't going to be close to covering her overheads let alone bring in any returns for her and Allen Sugar. Her business plan is nonsense.
If I had to choose someone's business advice ie yours or LS I know where my money would go, unless of course your business empire rakes in a tad more than LS's
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:42
nattoyaki
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What are the chances Deliciously Rich get a contract to supply the Palace of Westminster?

All subsidised by our taxes of course
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:46
francie
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i think he chose Alana because LAS thinks baking is the newest big trend - especially seeing bake off do so well and also seeing the likes of Levi Roots walk into the Dragons Den and turn Reggi Reggi Sauce from a one man - sell it at carnival Business to the great all singing , all dancing products that are on the shelves

However i cant see Alana being the next levi roots can you ?
Who knows? Look at Susan Ma, from a market stall to "Product Business of the Year 2015" (different product I know but you get my drift?)
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Old 19-12-2016, 21:07
Sweet FA
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i think he chose Alana because LAS thinks baking is the newest big trend - especially seeing bake off do so well and also seeing the likes of Levi Roots walk into the Dragons Den and turn Reggi Reggi Sauce from a one man - sell it at carnival Business to the great all singing , all dancing products that are on the shelves

However i cant see Alana being the next levi roots can you ?
Agreed. Perhaps Alan with his name & contacts can make it into something really special but having seen how she makes her product along with her prices, I'll be sticking to Thorntons. And even they now sell their wares in Poundland!
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Old 19-12-2016, 23:54
milliejo
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They ate not high quality for 18p a slice. The edit shown last night was after it had been decided she would win. They are hardly going to say these brownies are just the same as the ones you get in a tub full for a quid.
It is very rare to find real, well made Brownie, most of them are generic and cheap. If Alana has made them without them tasting mass produced I will certainly be treating myself to them. Even Claude looked surprised and impressed by how good those baked goodies were, once he tried one, he wanted to try all of them.
These are made to be really rich so you should not be able to eat a tub full of them. One with a coffee or cup of tea should be enough.
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Old 19-12-2016, 23:58
milliejo
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I agree

I've never understood how anyone could justify (paying) restaurant prices for something that you up pick up off a counter and walk around eating

whether it's a cake or a pasty

tim
Maybe because we are not all tight arses....some of us like the experience of a resturant or a coffee shop, with other people around. I love coffee, a piece of cake and free wifi to sit in a cafe and read or write. And some of us having been taught that it is bad manners to eat while walking in the street, so we don't do it.
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Old 20-12-2016, 00:06
Cestrian18
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It is very rare to find real, well made Brownie, most of them are generic and cheap. If Alana has made them without them tasting mass produced I will certainly be treating myself to them. Even Claude looked surprised and impressed by how good those baked goodies were, once he tried one, he wanted to try all of them.
These are made to be really rich so you should not be able to eat a tub full of them. One with a coffee or cup of tea should be enough.
Indeed, if you look at the six products she sells in her current business, there's nothing groundbreaking but they all sound lovely and indulgent. She readily admits on her website that they're 'tried and tested' recipes that most people can do.

However, Peanut Butter Fudge Cake, Creme Brulee Brownie and Sticky Toffee flapjack all have me tempted to lay out the £12.99 for some- They sound awesome, and there will be other people like me too who will be tempted to have a go to try them and if they're good people will come back. People pay upwards of £30-50 for decent quality cakes (My friend bought her mums Birthday cake from Lola's cupcakes and thought nothing of spending a ridiculous amount on them) so the market is definitely there.
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Old 20-12-2016, 07:50
JohnStannard
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exactly its ridiculous how overpriced some things really are these days the prices you pay when the product costs a fraction of that to make
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Old 20-12-2016, 08:17
Galaxy266
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What put me off completely was when she was making the cakes without even a bobble holding her hair back, the thought of that hair getting mixed in gave me the boak!
I'm sure that Alana was only shown working like that because the whole show is "Made for television" and Alana clearly looks much more attractive with her hair free and flowing everywhere! I'm more than sure she knows exactly what the Health and Safety rules are.

In the "Candy Task", when she was working in the kitchen, her hair was platted and tied back. I believe she was also wearing a blue plastic hat.
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Old 20-12-2016, 10:40
TheDC
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It is very rare to find real, well made Brownie, most of them are generic and cheap. If Alana has made them without them tasting mass produced I will certainly be treating myself to them. Even Claude looked surprised and impressed by how good those baked goodies were, once he tried one, he wanted to try all of them.
These are made to be really rich so you should not be able to eat a tub full of them. One with a coffee or cup of tea should be enough.
Really? I don't think it's that rare. It's not rocket science although most are stale or baked with a view to be kept around for a few wekks. But with her baking and shipping them to places hers will get stale quickly too.

It's butter, chocolate, flour and sugar. Hard to make that junk not taste good. As she is doing cut price brownies sold at a premium the most important ingredient, the chocolate is likley to be very low quality with the coatings she quoted herself.
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Old 20-12-2016, 13:00
BasilRathbon
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Really? I don't think it's that rare. It's not rocket science although most are stale or baked with a view to be kept around for a few wekks. But with her baking and shipping them to places hers will get stale quickly too.

It's butter, chocolate, flour and sugar. Hard to make that junk not taste good. As she is doing cut price brownies sold at a premium the most important ingredient, the chocolate is likley to be very low quality with the coatings she quoted herself.
It all starts out innocently, mixing butter, chocolate, flour and sugar. But, before you know it, you're adding marshmallows and raisins - it's a rocky road.
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Old 20-12-2016, 22:39
Cats_Eyes
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[quote=BasilRathbon;84927754 [B]It all starts out innocently, mixing butter, chocolate, flour and .[/b] But, before you know it, you're adding marshmallows and raisins - it's a rocky road.[/QUOTE]



It sure is because many on here want to add sour grapes as well
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Old 21-12-2016, 21:06
milliejo
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Really? I don't think it's that rare. It's not rocket science although most are stale or baked with a view to be kept around for a few wekks. But with her baking and shipping them to places hers will get stale quickly too.

It's butter, chocolate, flour and sugar. Hard to make that junk not taste good. As she is doing cut price brownies sold at a premium the most important ingredient, the chocolate is likley to be very low quality with the coatings she quoted herself.
Most of us don't make them often because they are a treat and highly calorific, they are meant to be treats. One for a treat in a coffee shop is a different thing...And the quality of the ingredients, whether butter is used etc....She said she will be using Belgian Chocolate, she said that high quality ingredients is important to her. The people that tasted them, clearly thought they were very, very, good. I think this could be a very good business..and I think that Lord Sugar was very happy that it will be based in Wales too.
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Old 21-12-2016, 21:26
Cats_Eyes
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Really? I don't think it's that rare. It's not rocket science although most are stale or baked with a view to be kept around for a few wekks. But with her baking and shipping them to places hers will get stale quickly too.

It's butter, chocolate, flour and sugar. Hard to make that junk not taste good. As she is doing cut price brownies sold at a premium the most important ingredient, the chocolate is likley to be very low quality with the coatings she quoted herself.
How many times does she have to say that she only uses Belgian Chocolate ?
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Old 22-12-2016, 08:56
TheDC
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How many times does she have to say that she only uses Belgian Chocolate ?
What exactly does that mean? Belgium chocolate is not a protected name. Even if her chocolate is made in Belgium (very doubtful with her own coatings) it could still be very low quality.

She's just doing what many food manufactures do, making something as cheaply as possible while pretending its premium. Who wouldn't want to make a 1250% markup?
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Old 22-12-2016, 09:56
lammtarra
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What exactly does that mean? Belgium chocolate is not a protected name. Even if her chocolate is made in Belgium (very doubtful with her own coatings) it could still be very low quality.

She's just doing what many food manufactures do, making something as cheaply as possible while pretending its premium. Who wouldn't want to make a 1250% markup?
That is not quite the game. Rather, the trick with premium products is to add 50p in value and charge an extra pound for it, or maybe two. It is the same everywhere from first class flights to Starbucks coffee: make a better product and charge like a wounded rhino.
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Old 22-12-2016, 10:17
TheDC
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That is not quite the game. Rather, the trick with premium products is to add 50p in value and charge an extra pound for it, or maybe two. It is the same everywhere from first class flights to Starbucks coffee: make a better product and charge like a wounded rhino.
I think there is more than one trick out there.

I worked in a potato salad factory. The only difference between the luxury potato salad was the nicer pot and chives on top.

Many food manufacturer's go on about "only using the finest ingredients" but that means nothing at all. They will buy the cheapest eggs, butter and other products just to make the highest margin. They are not a charity after all.
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Old 22-12-2016, 17:37
Cats_Eyes
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What exactly does that mean? Belgium chocolate is not a protected name. Even if her chocolate is made in Belgium (very doubtful with her own coatings) it could still be very low quality.

She's just doing what many food manufactures do, making something as cheaply as possible while pretending its premium. Who wouldn't want to make a 1250% markup?



Well if that is the case why do you single out Alana and,in addition, how do you know that her chocolate is "very low quality " ?
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