Cake sheds are making bakers £1,000 a week - but the dream might be over

Cake sheds are making bakers £1,000 a week - but the dream might be over 5 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Katie Thompson , BBC News and Jo Black , News correspondent BBC Danielle Edgington's cake shed has been so popular, she quit her full-time job to dedicate time to it Cake sheds are becoming something of a Great British tradition. You may have noticed one pop up near you. These small, cupboard-like "sheds" are usually jam-packed with home-baked goods that you help yourself to, and for which you are trusted to pay through an honesty box system. Packed with cookies, brownies, old-school sprinkle cakes or lemon drizzle, they are usually found in front gardens, on driveways or by the roadside. For some, the sheds are a side-hustle, while for others they're a booming business opportunity. But as the movement grows the sheds are coming under increasing scrutiny from some council officials. "They are definitely becoming a feature in our landscape and are spreading from the countryside to the urban environment," says Bronya Seifert of Daisy Cake Company. "It's wonderful." But the sweet trend could be under threat in some parts of the country, as some councils are considering enforcing tighter licensing rules. Some dedicated cake shedders say if this happens they could be forced to close down. One cake shed community online said it was getting up to 400 new members on Facebook a week. "Over the past few months the group has grown exponentially," says Susanne Niess, of That's Cake by Susanne. Danielle is hoping her cake shed will continue to thrive Danielle Edgington set up her cake shed in Kings Heath, Birmingham, eight months ago and it's proved so popular she has quit her job as a catering manager to work on it full time. Before that she'd been selling her baked goods at markets, having launched a business during the Covid pandemic delivering afternoon teas and birthday cakes. She set up the shed to sell any spares. "It's taken over my life," said the 41-year-old, who has been a chef for 20 years. "I'd get up, I'd go to work in the morning and then I'd come home. I'd be baking all evening. So it just became too much. "I've just not been able to keep up with the demand so I've decided to go full-time." The Lavender Cake Shed now brings in between £500 to £1,000 a week, with customers flocking from neighbouring towns like Redditch and Solihull to Danielle's quiet suburban road to sample her goods. "It's a lot of cake," she said. Demand is so high, the shed is open seven days a week from 09:00-21:00 BST - and Danielle credits much of the interest to her TikTok account. "I've got quite a big social media presence. I'll get messages off customers saying 'What have you got in the shed today? Because we are travelling from a bit further out.' "To see a queue out there is just unbelievable. It's quite humbling really to see." Charley Coleman-Pollard says she likes to give something back to her community Mother-of-two Charley Coleman-Pollar