Selling homemade soups and chutneys

[jbel38]

I run a pub and have an established kitchen. I'm thinking of selling my homemade soups and chutneys outside of the pub as a sideline, but i have no idea where to start. I'm concerned about shelf life. I don't know where to look for advice on whether I have to add anything to extend shelf life. Also confused about which packaging to use for the safest, most sterile options. Any advise would be greatly appreciated

 

[hikiwari]

Google Food Standards Agency then your town and it will give you the contact details so you can talk to the people who will eventually approve your enterprise.

 

[Newchodge]

I run a pub and have an established kitchen. I'm thinking of selling my homemade soups and chutneys outside of the pub as a sideline, but i have no idea where to start. I'm concerned about shelf life. I don't know where to look for advice on whether I have to add anything to extend shelf life. Also confused about which packaging to use for the safest, most sterile options. Any advise would be greatly appreciated

Home made soup is quite different to home made chutney. Are you planning to sell it as a hot item to be consumed immediately or as something you use later after re-heating? Where as in what kind of locatiuon, are you planning to sell them?

 

[Mark James]

Maybe start very locally and sell only from your premises ie customers pick up and see how it goes and go from there. Love Mango chutney btw and you’ve reminded me to go get some for the upcoming food fest.

 

[Waddy]

Chutney will naturally have a long shelf life because of its high sugar and vinegar content. Soup would need to be refrigerated and used within a few days.

You can sell from your pub without issues and you can do one off events like a market or event to test opinion, if you plan on selling regularly away from your premises then you will need to check with your local authority whether you need any extra licences/certificates.

As for extending shelf life and which packaging to use, I have no advice.

 

[Iviname]

I think you need to contact the food standards agency

 

[eteb3]

Chutney is designed to be long self life (2 years? And it gets better with age). If you do it carefully you should have no issues at all.

I suggest you go to Abebooks and get yourself HMSO’s “Home preservation of fruit and vegetables”. It’s a wartime classic from when national survival depended on the chutney not spoiling, or the peelings going to waste. Can’t recommend it enough.