Allergies & allergen information
Allergens
Everything I make comes out of one small home kitchen that handles nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs and other allergens every day.
That means I cannot guarantee anything is free from any allergen, and all my bakes may contain traces of nuts. I will not tell you otherwise, because on this the honest answer is the only safe one.
If you have any allergy, intolerance or dietary concern, message me before you order and I will tell you straight what is in things.
Why a home kitchen is different
A large bakery can run separate lines, separate equipment and separate areas, and can test what comes off them. I cannot. Jay’s Bakes runs out of one domestic kitchen, and the same surfaces, bowls, trays and oven are used for everything I bake in a week.
So even where a recipe contains no nuts at all, I will not describe it as free from nuts, because nuts were in that kitchen. The same goes for gluten, dairy and eggs. Anyone who tells you otherwise about a home kitchen is guessing, and a guess is not good enough when the consequence is somebody in hospital.
The 14 allergens
UK law names fourteen allergens that food businesses must be able to tell you about. Products I make may contain, or come into contact with, any of the following:
- Cereals containing gluten
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Milk
- Nuts
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame
- Sulphur dioxide / sulphites
- Lupin
- Molluscs
If you need to know about a specific one in a specific treat, ask me about that treat. I know what goes into everything I bake and I will tell you.
Alcohol
Some of what I make contains alcohol. Where it does, it is named in the treat itself rather than hidden in the description, so you can see it before you order.
If you are ordering for children, for anyone who does not drink, or for a workplace where it would not be appropriate, say so when you order and I will keep it out of your box. It is a one line message and it saves an awkward moment later.
How to tell me
Before you order, not after. Message me on WhatsApp and tell me what the allergy or intolerance is and who it is for. That is genuinely all it takes.
You will get one of two answers. Either I will tell you what is in the thing you are asking about so you can decide, or I will tell you that I would not be comfortable making it for that person. The second answer is rarer, but you will get it if it is the right one.
What you will not get is a reassurance I cannot stand behind.
If your allergy is severe
If a reaction would send you to hospital, please think carefully before ordering anything from any home kitchen, mine included. That is not me trying to talk you out of it. It is that the honest risk assessment for a shared domestic kitchen is different from the one for a factory line, and you deserve to make that decision with the real picture in front of you.
If you do want to order, message me first and tell me exactly what the allergy is. I will tell you what is in things and what the kitchen handles, and then it is your call rather than mine.
Why I will not just say yes
It would be easier to say yes. Saying yes wins the order, and saying no sometimes loses it. Plenty of small food businesses take that trade, and most of the time nothing happens.
I would rather lose an order than be the reason somebody has a reaction. So if you ask me whether something is safe for a serious allergy and the truthful answer is that I cannot promise it, that is the answer you will get, every time, even when it costs me the sale.
Ordering for someone else
If the box is a gift, or it is going to an office or a group, ask them first and then tell me. It is much easier for me to leave something out at the point of baking than it is for anyone to work it out afterwards from a box of ten treats.
This matters most with children’s parties and with workplaces, where the person ordering often does not know everyone who will end up eating it.
What comes with your box
When I confirm your order I will tell you what is in it. If you have asked about an allergen, that answer comes with the confirmation in writing on WhatsApp, so you have it rather than having to remember a conversation.
If anything about your order changes between confirming and baking, I will tell you before it goes out rather than substituting something quietly.
Registration
Jay’s Bakes is registered as a food business with Liverpool City Council and is waiting on its first inspection date. If there is anything you want confirmed before you order, message me and ask.
Common questions
Can you make something free from gluten? No. Nothing here can be described as free from gluten, because it is baked in a kitchen that handles it every day.
Do you do vegan bakes? Ask me about the specific treat. What I will not do is label something vegan and have it made on the same equipment as everything else without telling you that.
Can you leave the nuts out? I can leave nuts out of a recipe. I cannot make the kitchen free from nuts, so the box would still carry a may contain traces warning.
My child has an allergy. Can I order? Message me first and tell me what it is. I would rather have that conversation than take the order blind.