Sell food from home with your own ordering page
Updated 19 October 2026
You can sell food from home in the UK once you register with your council, follow food hygiene and allergen rules, and have a way to take orders. Menuthere gives home cooks a free ordering page. Customers pick dishes and order, instead of messaging you. On Lite they also choose a collection or delivery slot and pay by card. You pay 0% commission. The Free plan covers 50 orders a month.
Who this is for
- Home cooks selling meal boxes, curries, jerk chicken, dumplings or Sunday dinners.
- Instagram and WhatsApp sellers who take orders in DMs today.
- Weekly drop sellers who cook one menu a week for pre-order.
- Home caterers doing party trays. See catering ordering.
- Home bakers. See our cake website for home bakers.
Step 1: get legal before you sell
You need to sort these before you take the first order. Our full guide to the rules on selling food from home in the UK covers each step.
| Step | What to do | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Register | With your local council, at least 28 days before trading | Free and cannot be refused (England, Wales, NI). Also covers online-only sellers |
| Inspection | The council inspects your kitchen and gives a food hygiene rating | 0–5 in England, Wales and NI. Aim for 5 |
| Training | Make sure you are trained in food hygiene | A Level 2 certificate is the usual proof |
| Food safety plan | Write down how you keep food safe | The FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack is free (England and Wales). NI uses Safe Catering; Scotland uses CookSafe |
| Allergens | Know the 14 allergens in every dish | Must be given before purchase and on handover for online orders. Menuthere lets you tag them on each dish |
| Permissions | Tell your mortgage lender or landlord and your home insurer | Home insurance may not cover your business. Ask your council's planning team before any big changes to your home |
| Tax | Tell HMRC | Register for Self Assessment if trading income goes over £1,000 in a tax year. VAT only above the £90,000 threshold |
Can I sell food on Deliveroo or Uber Eats from home?
Possibly, but don't count on it. We couldn't find a published UK home-kitchen policy from Deliveroo or Uber Eats (checked 11 Oct 2026). What they do publish makes it hard for new home sellers.
- Deliveroo requires a food hygiene rating of at least 2 to list. New businesses "awaiting inspection" can list if Deliveroo can check they are legitimate.
- Uber Eats doesn't state a hygiene-rating rule on its UK pricing page. Ask during sign-up.
- Sign-up forms ask for your business details. Ask each app what it needs from a home-based business.
- The cost is high. Uber Eats, for example, charges 13% when you deliver or customers collect, and 30% when Uber delivers, plus 20% VAT on the fee.
So even if you are accepted, the apps take a big share of a small business's money. Most home sellers do better with their own ordering link and a loyal local following. Compare the apps in our Just Eat vs Deliveroo vs Uber Eats guide.
Step 2: move orders out of your DMs
Instagram and WhatsApp are great for finding customers. They are a poor way to take orders. You end up copying names, dishes and times into notes at 11pm.
With your own ordering page:
- Customers order themselves. Dishes, sizes, extras and a note for special requests.
- They pick a slot (Lite). Set minimum notice and how far ahead people can book. Make a dish available only on the days you cook it.
- You get one list. Orders ring on your phone until you accept them.
- Customers see their order status on a live page, without messaging you.
- Card payments go into your own Stripe account (Lite). On Free, take bank transfer, pay on collection or your own payment link.
- A copy of each order goes to your WhatsApp on every plan.
Put the link in your Instagram bio, on your WhatsApp status and on a sticker on every box. Make a click-to-chat link with our WhatsApp link generator.
Run your kitchen around pre-orders
Most home food businesses cook in batches, not to order. Pre-orders make that easy.
- Post the week's menu on a Monday.
- Close orders on Wednesday night (set your minimum notice).
- Buy and cook exactly what was ordered.
- Hand over in a two-hour collection window on Friday.
This cuts food waste and keeps your evenings free. Pre-orders and slots are on Lite and above. See pre-orders.
Want customers to order inside WhatsApp, with automatic updates? That is our Pro plan on your own WhatsApp number. Meta charges per message. See WhatsApp ordering.
What it costs: a worked UK example
A home cook sells 80 orders a month at £16. That is £1,280.
| Way to sell | Fees | VAT on fees | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery app, they deliver (30%, Uber Eats rate), if accepted | £384.00 | £76.80 | £460.80 |
| Delivery app, own delivery (13%, Uber Eats rate), if accepted | £166.40 | £33.28 | £199.68 |
| Menuthere Lite + Stripe (1.5% + 20p UK cards) | £19.20 + £16.00 card fees | none on Menuthere's side | £35.20 + US$17 |
| Menuthere Free + bank transfer (only while you take 50 orders a month or fewer) | £0 | — | £0 |
Menuthere plans are billed in US dollars; your bank converts it. A small home business is usually not VAT-registered. That means the VAT on app fees cannot be reclaimed. It is a straight cost.
Features for home food businesses
| Need | Menuthere |
|---|---|
| Ordering page with photos and prices | Yes, every plan |
| 0% commission | Yes, every plan |
| Collection and local delivery | Yes. Delivery radius and fees; advanced zones on Lite |
| Pre-orders and collection slots | Lite and above |
| Card payments to your own account | Lite and above (Stripe) |
| Allergens and calories per dish | Yes, every plan. Tag any of the 14 allergens, calories and a halal mark on each dish. Print a matrix with our allergen chart maker |
| Mark dishes sold out | Yes |
| Your own domain | Lite and above |
| WhatsApp ordering with automatic updates | Pro |
| Contract | None |
UK rules to keep in mind as you grow
- Allergens. Give allergen information for every dish before people order, and again on collection. On Menuthere, tag the allergens on each dish and customers see them when they open it. Print a chart with our free allergen matrix maker. If you pre-pack food before people order it, it needs a full PPDS (Natasha's Law) label.
- Hot food and VAT. Once you are VAT-registered, hot takeaway food is standard-rated and most cold takeaway food is zero-rated. Read VAT on takeaway food.
- No card surcharges. You cannot charge extra for card payments.
- Show your rating. Add your food hygiene rating to your ordering page. It builds trust fast.
Looking for ideas? See our list of food business ideas in the UK.
Free for 50 orders a month, with no card and no contract.
FAQs
Can I sell food from home in the UK?
Yes. Register with your local council at least 28 days before you start, follow food hygiene and allergen rules, and expect an inspection. Registration is free.
Can I sell food on Deliveroo from home?
It is unlikely early on. Deliveroo requires a food hygiene rating of at least 2, with an exception for new businesses awaiting inspection. Its policy doesn't mention home kitchens. Ask Deliveroo directly.
Can I sell food from home on Uber Eats in the UK?
We couldn't find a UK home-kitchen policy from Uber Eats. Ask during sign-up. Even if accepted, commission of 13% to 30% plus VAT takes a large share.
How do I start a food delivery business from home?
Register with the council, get trained, plan your menu and allergens, then set up an ordering page with collection and a small local delivery radius. Start with collection only to keep costs down.
Do I need a website to sell food from home?
Not a full website. An ordering page with your menu, slots and payments is enough. Menuthere gives you one free, and you can add your own domain on Lite.
Can customers order on WhatsApp?
Yes. Every order is copied to your WhatsApp. On Pro, customers can order inside WhatsApp on your own number with automatic updates.
Do I need insurance to sell food from home?
It is strongly advised. Public and product liability cover protects you if a customer gets ill. Tell your home insurer too.
Sources (12)
- GOV.UK, Food business registration: gov.uk/food-business-registration (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK, Starting a food business (registration free, can't be refused): gov.uk/guidance/starting-a-food-business (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Deliveroo, Food hygiene rating policy: help.deliveroo.com/en/articles/3198655 (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Uber Eats UK pricing (30% Uber delivery, 13% self-delivery or pickup, excl. VAT): merchants.ubereats.com/gb/en/pricing (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK, Running a business from home: gov.uk/run-business-from-home (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK, Tax-free allowances on property and trading income; VAT registration threshold: gov.uk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- FSA, Safer Food, Better Business (England and Wales; NI: Safe Catering): gov.uk/government/publications/safer-food-better-business-sfbb; Food Standards Scotland, CookSafe (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- FSA, Allergen guidance for food businesses (distance selling): gov.uk/government/publications/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- HMRC VAT Notice 709/1: gov.uk/guidance/catering-takeaway-food-and-vat-notice-7091 (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Stripe UK pricing: stripe.com/gb/pricing (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere docs (Prebooking, Show dishes at set times, Allergens and nutrition), read 11 Oct 2026
- Menuthere: /en/pricing, /free-whatsapp-order-page, /en/features/pre-orders-and-table-booking (accessed 11 Oct 2026)