The honest page
Allergens & ingredients
Everything you need to know before you order, written plainly.
Everything is baked in a home kitchen where all 14 major allergens are present, including nuts. I can never guarantee any bake is completely free of traces.
I clean thoroughly between bakes, but this is one kitchen without the separate lines a factory has. If a trace could put someone at risk, please read the section on severe allergies below before you order anything.
The 14 regulated allergens
UK food law recognises 14 major allergens. All of them are present in my kitchen: some in the baking itself, others simply because this is a working home kitchen.
Celery
including stalks, leaves, seeds and celeriac
Cereals containing gluten
wheat, rye, barley and oats
Crustaceans
prawns, crabs and lobster
Eggs
in sponges, buttercreams, glazes and washes
Fish
handled in this kitchen
Lupin
found in some flours and baked goods
Milk
including butter, cream and yoghurt
Molluscs
mussels, squid and snails
Mustard
including mustard seeds and powder
Tree nuts
almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamias
Peanuts
a legume, listed separately from tree nuts
Sesame
including seeds, oil and tahini
Soya
often in chocolate and some margarines
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
used in some dried fruits
A full label with every order
Every order leaves my kitchen with a full ingredient list, each allergen clearly emphasised, labelled to UK PPDS requirements (known as Natasha's Law). It's the legal standard for food prepared and packed before you order, and I'm glad it exists.
So you never have to guess what's in a bake: it's written on the label, in the order the ingredients go in, with the allergens picked out. Sploffin is a registered food business with the local authority in Peterborough.
Ordering with a severe allergy
Please ask me before you order, not after. Email sploffin@gmail.com and tell me what you or your guest needs to avoid, and I'll be honest about what I can and can't make safely. Sometimes the answer is "yes, easily". Sometimes it's "I can leave that ingredient out, but I can't rule out traces". And sometimes the honest answer is "no, I'm not the right bakery for this one", and I would far rather say so than have anyone take a risk on my baking.
For anyone whose allergy is life-threatening, the safe assumption is that nothing from this kitchen is free of traces. I wish I could promise otherwise, but I won't pretend.
Ordering with confidence
Sploffin is a bakery in Peterborough that labels every order to UK PPDS requirements: a full ingredient list with each of the 14 regulated allergens clearly emphasised, exactly as Natasha's Law requires. Every order leaves with one as standard, so you can check any bake against an allergy before anyone takes a bite.
If you're looking for an allergen-friendly bakery in Peterborough, what I can offer is honesty. This is not an allergen-free kitchen. I'll leave an ingredient out where I safely can, and I'll tell you plainly when I can't rule out traces, because with a severe allergy a straight "no" is kinder than a hopeful "probably fine".
What actually goes in
The other half of knowing what's in a bake is knowing what isn't. I bake with all-natural ingredients: real butter, real vanilla, free-range eggs, proper chocolate. Nothing artificial, and no margarine standing in for butter. It's how I was taught, and it's the only way I know how to make things taste right.
(the butter bill is a matter I have made peace with)
If you'd like the full ingredient list for anything before you order, just ask. It's the same list that goes on the label.
Still deciding
Tell me what you need and I'll be straight with you.
If someone at your table has an allergy, say so when you get in touch and I'll tell you honestly what I can and can't make safely from one kitchen.