AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Anyone who cooks, stores, handles or sells food as a business, including from home, must register as a food business with their local council. GOV.UK says to register at least 28 days before you start trading, and advises against registering much earlier than that. Expect a hygiene inspection and rating, and register for tax as a sole trader or company.
Nigerian party food sells itself: trays of jollof and fried rice, small chops, moi moi, puff-puff, suya, pepper soup for a naming ceremony. Plenty of UK caterers start in their own kitchen, cooking for church events and weddings before taking regular orders. The law treats that as a food business from the first paid order, whether or not you have a shop.
Food business registration: 28 days
GOV.UK's food business registration page (updated 25 June 2026) says you must register if you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute food, and it names businesses that trade from home, from a mobile unit or from temporary premises such as a stall or van. Online-only sellers are covered too.
Registration is with the council where the kitchen is, done online through GOV.UK. Register at least 28 days before you start trading; GOV.UK also advises against registering too early, suggesting you wait until 28 days before operations start. Example only: if your first paid catering job is on Saturday 6 March, register by Saturday 6 February.
What happens after you register
The council's environmental health team uses the registration to plan inspections. The inspection looks at how food is stored, prepared and cooked, cleaning, and your records, and leads to a food hygiene rating. For how ratings are scored and how to prepare, see food hygiene ratings for a Nigerian takeaway. Some council markets will not let a food trader start until the inspection has happened; Lambeth's street trading page, for example, says food businesses must be inspected before trading starts.
Getting the home kitchen ready
- Separate storage for business stock, labelled with dates.
- Fridge and freezer space with a thermometer, and a simple daily temperature record.
- Hand-washing facilities and cleaning products used to a routine.
- A written list of ingredients for each dish, including allergens such as peanuts in groundnut soup, crayfish and shellfish, and egg in small chops.
- Food hygiene training for anyone who cooks; many caterers take a recognised course before the inspection.
- Pets kept out of the kitchen while you prepare orders.
Tax, structure and insurance
- Tax registration. Most home caterers start as sole traders; see registering as a sole trader. A limited company is the other route.
- Insurance. Public and product liability cover for claims by customers is what event clients and venues usually ask about. Employers' liability is compulsory once you employ anyone outside close family; see employers' liability insurance.
- Your home. Check your tenancy, mortgage and home insurance terms, which may restrict running a business from the property, and ask the council whether planning permission is needed if customers will collect regularly.
- Visa conditions. If you hold a UK visa, check that self-employment is allowed under it before you take paid orders.
Ingredients from Nigeria
Many dishes depend on ingredients that are easiest to find in Nigeria. Personal food imports have their own rules, and a commercial business should buy from UK suppliers who import legally rather than rely on suitcases. The personal-import rules are in sending food from Nigeria to the UK.
Taking orders and payments
Most home caterers take orders by WhatsApp or Instagram. Keep a simple record for every order: the client, the date, the menu, the number of guests, any allergies they told you about, the deposit received and the balance due. That record serves three purposes at once: it answers an inspector's questions about what you supply, it is the basis of your tax return, and it settles disputes with a client about what was agreed. Ask for a deposit before you buy ingredients for large jobs, and agree what happens if the event is cancelled.
Pricing an event: a worked example
Example only. A 100-guest wedding order for jollof, fried rice, chicken and small chops: ingredients £650, packaging and foil trays £90, gas and electricity estimate £40, transport £35. Direct cost £815. If you want £400 for your own labour across two days, the price before any profit margin is £1,215, about £12.15 a head. Write the price and what it includes (portions, delivery, serving staff or not) in a short quote the client accepts.
Steps
- Choose the date of your first paid job.
- Register the food business with your council at least 28 days before it.
- Prepare the kitchen and your allergen list.
- Register for tax and arrange insurance.
- Keep records of every order, payment and cost from day one.
This article is information, not legal advice. Your council's environmental health team is the authority on what your kitchen needs.
Where Pryme fits
Event clients often pay a deposit and a balance, sometimes from family in Nigeria. A Pryme Business Account holds GBP and NGN with local details, and invoicing (/p/invoicing) helps you keep each order's deposit and balance on one record.
Questions people ask
Do I need to register to sell food from home in the UK?
Yes. GOV.UK says anyone who sells, cooks, stores, handles, prepares or distributes food, including from home, must register as a food business with the council.
How long before trading do I register my food business?
At least 28 days before you start trading, according to GOV.UK, which also advises against registering much earlier.
Will the council inspect my home kitchen?
Registration lets the council plan an inspection, which leads to a food hygiene rating. Some council markets require the inspection before you trade.
Do I need a hygiene certificate to cook for events?
Training is widely expected for food handlers and helps at inspection. Ask your council's environmental health team what it expects for your set-up.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Register a food business (updated 25 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Lambeth Council: Markets and street trading · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.