Why we turn allergy orders away

How we work

Avoiding is not the same as free-from

There is a real difference between leaving an ingredient out and being able to say a product is free from it. A single kitchen that handles nuts, dairy, egg, gluten and sesame can do the first and cannot honestly claim the second, because cross-contact happens through shared equipment, surfaces and air in ways no amount of care eliminates.

That distinction matters most for the people at the highest risk. Someone with anaphylaxis asking for a nut-free cake deserves to be told no by a kitchen like this, rather than reassured by a baker who wants the order. It loses sales and it is the only defensible position.

The smaller honesty is about price. Customers compare cakes by size, while the cost sits almost entirely in hours — sharp edges, sugar flowers and modelling take a long time. Showing someone a simpler design at the same size, and what it saves, is more useful than defending a quote.