Sales Policy
Cakes
Our dimensions are a guideline as each cake is hand crafted in freehand. Our cakes are more substantial than most cakes of a similar size & make a lovely impact on any occasion. We have never had a customer complaint regarding cake portions. Against each description we will give an approximate number of portions for that particular item.
All cakes are made of vanilla sponge with jam and butter cream unless stated otherwise. On most designs there will be various fillings available. We like to give our customer as wide a variety as possible. Our chocolate sponge is flavoured with Belgian chocolate, carrot cake with locally-farmed carrots, lemon cake with the zest and juice of unwaxed lemons, and rich, but light, fruit cake. The price of the cake varies slightly depending on the filling selected. Vanilla sponge and chocolate cakes do not have nuts as an ingredient. Our fruitcake contains nuts and alcohol, although either of these ingredients can be omitted upon request in advance. Our carrot cake contains walnut and, likewise, we can omit this ingredient with sufficient notice. However, as our cakes are produced in an environment where nuts are used and stored, we cannot guarantee that the item would be 100% nut free.
We make gluten and/or egg-free cakes.
Our cakes do not contain animal fats and are made with top quality, natural ingredients.
Wedding Cakes
We offer a consultation service by appointment, either in your home or here on our premises at 114, Westmount Road, Eltham, London. SE9 1UT when every aspect of your wedding cake will be discussed. We can also provide quotes for pictures of wedding cakes. Just upload the image and send to us.
We have a selection of stands/knives. Some can be hired and others can be purchased. A refundable deposit is normally taken on the stand and knife, if hired. The amount of deposit depends on the value of the equipment.
We create wedding cakes to accommodate most people’s budget. We do not charge extra simply because it is a ‘wedding’. Our pricing is relative to the amount of work involved. We can provide a classic-style, streamlined wedding cake, chic with minimum detail right up to the most elaborate, intricate or decadent style of wedding cake you could wish for.
We recommend you order your wedding cake for the day before the wedding, although we can deliver to the venue on the day, if required.
Cake Storage and Shelf Life
All cakes should be stored in a cool dark place on a flat sturdy surface.
Never put cakes in the fridge other than fresh dairy cream cakes.
Sponge, Chocolate, Lemon and Carrot cake will keep for one week after delivery. Remaining portions of a cake will keep better if cellophane or foil is put around the exposed sponge.
Fruitcake lasts perfectly well for months if not years.
Edible Images and Sugar Models
Edible images can be put on almost any cake. £10 for the first image and £5 for every additional one thereafter. Editing and altering images may involve extra charges.
We can scan and print any photograph or image. Whenever an image is scanned and printed the quality deteriorates so make sure you give us the best quality pictures you can.
If you wish to supply a digital picture, we only accept jpg images. (Pronounced j-peg)
Images: Once an image is received, we are accepting this as permission for J. Ayre (Eltham) Ltd. to modify, if necessary, and or use the image sent to enhance the finish of the cake. We take photos of most of our cakes to update our website from time to time. Unless we are advised to the contrary, there may an occasion when your cake may be chosen for this purpose and this purpose only. (Please see information contained in ‘Privacy Policy’ section). Hand-made sugar models to accompany your cake such as a book, ballet shoes and mobile phone etc. cost from £20 each. Figures of people and animals cost from £30 each. Please request a quote.
Orders
We require 5 working days’ notice (Occasionally 3) on all cakes ordered. At least 4 weeks for wedding cakes (depending on amount of work involved). Although our skilled cake decorators are rare and valuable crafts people who in the past have created what one would consider the ‘impossible’ at very short notice, we ask that you please order as early as you can.
Please check your order thoroughly before payment. For bespoke cakes, our decorators use their experience and skills to create the finished article using the details and/or images given at the time of ordering. It is not possible to create exact specifications when modelling with food, just an interpretation using our own artistic licence.
24 hours after your cake has been ordered and paid for, any further alteration will carry a £5.00 administration fee plus any additional costs (if applicable).
If an inscription colour or any other choice is left un-selected on your order then we reserve the right to use our own discretion and choose one which we deem appropriate according to the details provided.
Payment
We take full payment at the point of ordering, with the exception of Wedding Cakes where 50% is due at the time of ordering with the balance due two weeks prior to delivery.
We only accept card payment on-line, cash & card in our shop. We no longer accept cheques.
The order will be confirmed by us via email.
Posting Policy
All items, which offer posting charges, can be posted to you for a set Royal Mail price. We accept no responsibility for the treatment of the product during the transportation stage. However we guarantee that all products sent through the post will be satisfactorily packaged to offer protection from damage.
Reservations
We currently offer the reservations of any birthday, novelty cakes, or wedding cakes through the website for collection at our shop in Westmount Road, Eltham, SE9 1UT. Also the reservation of other items made through the website are guaranteed upon
payment in full for that product. We will not be held responsible for mistakes made in placing orders through the website. Orders placed must be collected on the due date unless we are given 5 days notice.
Cancellation
There will be no refund on cakes cancelled less than 6 days prior to collection or delivery.
A £10.00 administration fee will always be withheld 24 hours after the order has been placed and paid for. Any refund will go back onto the same card. Allow 3-5 working days for the refund to show in your account.
Complaints
Corrections and repairs to cakes, including inscription mistakes, can be corrected on the same day in most cases. You are required to give us this opportunity and must let us know of the problem within one hour of accepting your cake.
Complaints are very rare and we take them very seriously. Some complaints may require further investigation and an immediate refund may not always be possible.
Cakes, or part of cakes, must be returned within three days to ensure we are able to fairly assess the nature of the complaint.
We cannot be held responsible for any damage to an item which has not been handled or stored correctly after delivery.
The maximum refund we offer is the value of the cake and delivery. Further compensation is not available.