So many of my clients are requiring gluten free cakes, many of whom suffer from Coeliac Disease and are understandably very particular about risks of gluten cross contamination. Therefore I have put together this gluten free declaration to describe everything I do to prevent cross contamination:
Cake preparation
I am unfortunately not yet big enough to work from a space purely for catering and therefore I bake from a residential home. This home has been inspected by Eastleigh Bough Council and was awarded a 5* food hygiene rating (and will be subjected to future inspections to maintain quality standards). However, I am lucky enough to have two preparation areas, both the kitchen, and a dedicated preparation room used for my business. All gluten free cakes are prepared in the dedicated preparation room, while gluten containing cakes are prepared in the kitchen.
Gluten free and gluten containing cakes are also never prepared at the same time. I also use separate aprons, utensils, and cake tins/pans.
Storage
All gluten containing ingredients are stored in the kitchen while gluten free ingredients are in the preparation room. Similarly, to avoid cross contamination, separate ingredients such as baking powder/bicarbonate of soda are solely used for either gluten containing or gluten free baking. All ingredients are labelled and stored in sealed air tight containers.
Baking
I currently only have the one oven for cake preparation which is used for both gluten containing and gluten free baking. However, the oven is NEVER used for both at the same time and any spillages are cleaned between uses.
Fridge/Freezer Storage
Gluten containing and gluten free cakes are stored in the same fridge/freezer. However, only once double wrapped in cling film and tin foil, or completely covered in an icing layer and stored in a box. The areas are also cleaned between uses and a gluten containing cake will NEVER be stored above a gluten free cake even with the wrapping/ once boxed.
