Our Store Policies
Things You Need to Know
Delivery & Timescales
I aim to have a stock of family sized round cakes ready baked and marzipanned so they will generally be iced to order and sent within 3-4 days of order, but this can take up to 7 days at busy times. Party size and shaped cakes are baked to order and are usually ready to send within 7-8 days. However I always recommend ordering AT LEAST 2 weeks before your special occasion to allow time for the fruit to soak and the cake to be baked, marzipanned and iced then set firm before wrapping.
Cakes will be sealed in a cellophane bag and securely wrapped in bubble wrap or similar packaging to protect them, then packed inside a cardboard box.
Parcels are usually sent by Royal Mail 2nd class as small packets, however a 48 hour courier may be used, and will always be used for larger cakes that weigh more than 2kg.
IMPORTANT - DAMAGE IN TRANSIT
Fruit cakes are by their nature quite solid and we take every care to wrap them securely. However no delivery company will accept responsibility for damage to 'perishable' items (even with 12 month shelf life !). Therefore I regret that cakes can only be sent at the buyer's risk. Damage is rare and in any case only likely to be minor damage to the icing - if this occurs please contact me and I will advise how best to repair it.
Storage
Fruit cakes will keep for many months, in fact they improve with time . Each cake will have a 'best before' date. Upon delivery the cake can either be kept in its wrapping or transferred into a cake tin but it MUST be kept dry and airtight.
Ingredients & Allergens
A full ingredients list will be supplied with all cakes, please contact me if you would like this in advance or if you need any allergen information
Our Orchard Fruitcake contains the following allergens:
WHEAT, EGGS, MILK, NUTS, & PEANUTS
The cakes also contain brandy and sherry (an alcohol free recipe can be made to order on request, but these will have a very limited shelf life).
Please note that all products are cooked in our 5* hygiene rated domestic kitchen where other allergens may be present.
Returns & Cancellations
Regretfully due to the nature of the products I am unable to accept returns. If you wish to cancel an order for a cake of any of our standard designs we will offer a full refund UP TO THE POINT OF POSTAGE. For special orders cancelled before the point of postage we will offer a refund of 50% of the price, or more at our sole discretion, depending on the level of personalisation and how much work has been done.
Once the cake is on its way to you it cannot be cancelled. I want you to enjoy your cake so by all means contact me if you have any queries at all.
The prices reflect that I am a home cook, not a professional cake decorator. You are buying a 'home made' cake. I do not promise perfect icing but I do guarantee that the cakes will taste delicious! (I can recommend an amazing local cake artist if you are looking for something extra special and have a larger budget).
Enjoy your cake !
Kathy
If planning to take your cake to an event please check with the venue BEFORE ordering from us.
We have 5* hygiene rating and full public & products liability insurance that would cover the very highly unlikely event of something going wrong, and for that reason I regret I do not sign indemnity forms for venues (to date only the Grand Hotel at Eastbourne has asked for this, but please ask your venue for their policy)