Running a food business from home is more popular than ever. Whether you bake celebration cakes, prepare meal-prep boxes, or cater for local events, UK law treats you exactly the same as any restaurant or bakery. That means registration, food safety records, and the risk of an unannounced inspection.
This guide covers everything you need to know: how to register, what records to keep, what Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) look for, and how digital tools can make it all straightforward.
Before you sell, offer, or give away food — even once — you must register as a food business with your local council. This is a legal requirement under the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Hygiene Regulations 2006.
To register, search "register food business" and your council name on GOV.UK, or use the Food Standards Agency's registration finder.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) publishes the Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack — a practical food safety management system designed specifically for small catering businesses, including home caterers. Using SFBB means you do not need to write a separate HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plan.
SFBB covers four main food safety risks:
The SFBB pack includes "safe methods" — one-page guides explaining exactly what to do in each area. EHOs across England and Wales accept SFBB as a complete food safety management system for small businesses.
An Environmental Health Officer inspection for a home caterer typically takes 30 to 90 minutes. The officer will assess three areas, each contributing to your food hygiene rating (0–5):
This is where your records come in — and it is directly within your control. A complete set of well-maintained records can significantly improve this part of your score, even if the physical kitchen has minor issues.
EHOs are fully comfortable with digital records. You can show your records on a phone, tablet, or laptop during an inspection. The key requirements are:
Your daily diary should be completed every day you trade, before you start and at the end of the day. Each entry should include: opening checks (equipment working, staff fit, areas clean, handwash available, hot water, no pests), closing checks (food stored, waste removed, areas cleaned, safe methods followed, allergen info up to date), and a note of any problems and the actions you took.
Log fridge temperatures daily and freezer temperatures at least weekly. Record cooking temperatures by probing the thickest part of the food. If any reading is out of range, record what corrective action you took — this shows the EHO you identified and resolved the issue.
Since October 2021, Natasha's Law requires all pre-packaged food to carry a full ingredients list with all 14 major allergens highlighted in bold. For home caterers, this means keeping an allergen matrix for every recipe, listing which of the 14 allergens are present. Update records immediately whenever you change a recipe.
The FSA requires home caterers to carry out a 4-weekly review of their food safety management system. This is not just a tick-box exercise — it is your opportunity to identify what is working, fix what is not, and document improvements.
During a review, walk around your kitchen and check each of the following: safe methods are being followed, allergen information is accurate, the cleaning schedule is being followed, the supplier list is up to date, staff training is current, temperature records are being kept, the daily diary has been completed on every operating day, and there is no evidence of pests.
Document any persistent problems (issues that have occurred three or more times) and the corrective actions you have taken. EHOs regard a thorough 4-weekly review as strong evidence that you take food safety seriously as an ongoing commitment, not just for inspections.
KitchenReady is the digital food safety app built specifically for UK home caterers. Log your diary, temperatures, allergens, and cleaning schedule in minutes. Generate a full FSA-ready inspection report with one click.
Start free — no credit card neededMost home caterers receive their first inspection within 12 months of registering. Subsequent inspections typically happen every one to three years, but can happen at any time without notice. The best preparation is simply to maintain your records consistently so that you are always inspection-ready.
Before any scheduled market, event, or pop-up, run through this checklist:
If an EHO arrives unannounced, stay calm. Offer them your records immediately and answer their questions honestly. EHOs are there to help businesses improve, not to catch them out. A well-maintained set of digital records demonstrates professionalism and significantly reduces inspection stress.