Catering/Events Network Guide

Catering Network Guide

If you are a small caterer by trade, and can cook Nigerian and or Jamaican meals, have a food hygeine certificate and would like the opportunity to be listed with us then please send us your details.

Providers of affiliated services such as photography, videography, entertainment and cultural servics are also welcome to join up.We would appreciate a concise listing of your abilities and scope and how much work you are willing to take on ideally in a format you are happy for the world to read and view.

You may already cook for the church bazaar, friends, family and get referals here and there, the purpose of the network is to communicate to others that you stand proud, that you are doing it legally and that you are dedicated to providing excellent and quality foods and services as synonymous with African and Caribbean cuisine which many travel to our countries of origin and pay neck breaking prices to eat.

Your contact details are essential. You choose what is displayed to the world, Naijamaican keeps the rest on file in case we need to make a direct referral.

We may ring or email you to get some more information, to provide you with an outline of the terms and conditions of listing and or to work with you informally to present your skills and so on to the public in a format that you are happy with.

We never under any circumstances bleat out your information to any other party irresponsibly and will always store your details securely.

NOTE

This information is not directed at enforcement officers, neither is it exhaustive, it is only provided as a guide for people who may wish to join the network and or learn more about catering ventures and use of the infomation is subject to our terms of use as shown on our legal page.

Legal Requirements.
A basic food hygeine certificate or Food Hygeine or related field qualification/s
Registration with the food hygiene/food safety /Environmental Health Department usually regulated by your local authority/local council as a business or individual selling or providing cooked food to the public.

This will usually involve an inspection of your premises and recommendations/appraisal of your infrastructure and other food related equipment/facilities. View Food Standards Agency Safe Catering Quick Guide Here
It is helpful to prepare all documentation needed before hand, such as
HACCP procedures including how you prepare foods, keep hot and cold and so on, obtain and vet sources of materials i.e (Suppliers), How you store your foods prior to and after cooking and manage the cooking process to prevent contamination. How you transport foods and so on
How you manage and store your chemicals and hazardous materials (COSSH) assessment
How you manage health and safety, do prepare a risk assessment, including a fire risk assessment.

The information on this page is intended to support, promote and publicise the historical importance, the healthy benefits and the popularity and diversity of African and Caribbean Foods and cultural practices with the emphasis on the need to pass cultural knowlege and history to those of African and Caribbean descent residing in other countries and preserve and prevent it from dying out.

It is also intended to promote, aid publicity and support small scale home cooks/caterers and event managers by providing access to information, self service support and to provide assistive material.

The information provided on this site is intended to encourage compliance with the law and instil confidence and power of knowledge in providers of cuisine that usually come under overscrutiny by officers who assume that tendencies are to adopt unacceptable standards as a norm.

Guidance

Inspectors may recommend changes/adjustments/improvements and should agree a timespan in which they want you to do this if you are operational and may visit to inspect these after they register you. They have a legal obligation to provide you with clear information on what they want you to do to comply with the law and what they will do after the inspection.

The Local Authority Officers cannot refuse to register your premises by law.

View Leaflet Food Hygeine and Your Business

View Food Inspections and your Business

You need Knowledge of/training in how to implement microbiological hazard and critical control point (HACCP) policies and methods in preparation/processing and management of your venture/business/contract.

You do not have to undertake or pay for a course, simply acquire and familiarise yourself with how to implement the policy for your catering needs. A lot of people find it beneficial when embarking on a course of higher learning AFTER they have learned on the job.

Click here to go to an online website and learn more about HACCP.

For small/micro businesses the Food Safety Agency do a free step by step simplified HACCP pack called Safer food, Better Business. They have also recently launched a DVD as well. Although it is not Cuisine specific it is helpful.

Recommended - Public and Products Liability Insurance to protect you and your customers and Employer Liabiility Insurance if you are employing others to work from your premises. You may also want to arrange for Business insurance which can cover for goods in transit, business interuption, loss of money, personal injury in the course of business, risk to business equipment, deterioration of stock and general stock including all your trade fixtures and any improvements you make to your property.

Registration with the HSE office is required by law if you employ more than 5 and you are required to prepare a health and safety policy and if not you should still consult the Guide to health and safety in Catering & Hospitality to use the information there to prepare answers to questions you may or will be asked by inspectors and to satisfy yourself that you are definitely not doing anything harmful.

FURTHER GUIDANCE ON BEGINNING A CATERING BUSINESS

Planning permission may be needed if you are converting a domestic premises into a catering/commercial premises which would require building works BUT not if you primarily reside at your home and use it secondarily as a place of work. Depending on fumes and smells that may emanate from your home, your neighbours may complain that of course depends on if the neighbour can prove that the aroma from your window or door is disturbing or as unpleasant as that outside or in lifts and stairwells.

For home cooks who provide catering on a small scale from home kitchens the health and safety inspectors will more than likely discuss the volume and frequency of the work you do, it is important to be clear about the amount of prep you do in your kitchen and any onsite finishing. They will try to inspect every room in the house, so lock/shut any room that has no concern with them.

Key areas are usually the kitchen and your bathroom to 'inspect' your washhand basin, your cupboards, the inspectors will temperature check your fridge and freezer even if you indicate you use these to store foods for catering. If you don't want them to access any area then simply tell them before they start to open your cupboards to inspect your china. Keep young children occupied and ideally out of sight. The inspectors may sometimes attempt to delve into your financial standing, business affairs and personal life; simply put it is none of their business.

They may inspect as indicated above in order to assess whether they feel you have adequate facilities and space to cope with the work you do. They may 'help' you to pass this information to other departments at the local authority such as planning departments and housing departments, this is not however directly linked to your registration or a prerequisite for registration under the food health and safety act.

If a planning officer or the local authority come knocking sometimes pretending to be police, the gasman, salesmen or crusaders;of course unless they are your relatives, do not answer. If your landlord is a local authority, then they need to write to you if they want ot come into your home and tell you why and you can deny access until a time when you have a third party such as a friend, family or solicitor present.

The role of an environmental health officer is to register you under the food health and safety act. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICER TO REGISTER YOUR PREMISES, THE LAW DOES NOT PERMIT THE OFFICER OR COUNCIL TO REFUSE YOUR APPLICATION OR FORCE YOU TO REBUILD YOUR HOME. It is your responsibility and the onus lies primarily on you as a business owner to ensure you meet all other legal requirements within reason. This including planning permission.

To find out more about Food Hygeine/HACCP training visit the Food Standards Agency or Chartered Institute for Environmental Health. Some providers now offer these courses as e-courses you can take online for a small fee.

Like what you see, Contact us to be feautured on this website.

Want to advertise your products or services on this site?

Fill in our Advert Subscription Form .

Whats the Small Print? Read all about it in our Advert Centre Guide

EVENT CATERING & FACILITATION

Halal Nigerian, Caribbean, Indian & Oyinbo Cuisine