Christmas production planning for small bakeries: a week-by-week guide

For many small bakeries, December is the biggest month of the year and the most likely to go wrong. Orders arrive by text, email and in person, everyone wants collection on the 23rd, and you discover on the 21st that you need 6 kg more butter. A little planning in October makes it a good month instead of a survival exercise.

Late October: set your Christmas menu

• Keep it short. Five to eight products you can make well, in volume, is better than fifteen.
• Favour things that can be made ahead: mince pies, Christmas cakes, biscuits, frozen dough.
• Cost each product now at today's prices, including boxes and ribbon. Butter, dried fruit and chocolate often go up before Christmas.
• Check the allergens and labels for anything new.

Work out how much you can actually make

Your capacity is limited by oven space, fridge space and hours, not by demand. For your busiest days, work out how many batches fit in the oven per hour and how many hours you'll really work. That gives you a cap. When orders reach it, stop taking them for that day. It's far better to say "sold out" than to let customers down on the 24th.

Early November: open orders with a clear deadline

• One way to order (a form, or one email address), so nothing gets lost.
• A clear order deadline, for example 12 December.
• Set collection slots or days, so the 23rd isn't chaos.
• Take a deposit or full payment up front for big orders.

Mid November: bake and freeze what you can

Christmas cakes need feeding for weeks, so bake those first. Many doughs, including mince pie pastry and cookie dough, freeze well. Make components like mincemeat, pastry and fillings in big batches when you have time, and label them with the date.

Early December: total everything and order stock

Once your order deadline passes, add up every order by collection day, scale your recipes and work out exactly what to buy. Order the big items (butter, flour, sugar, boxes) from your supplier early, as December deliveries get stretched.

The final week: a daily plan

Print a plan for each day: what to make, how many, for whom. Tick things off as you go and keep a list of collections by slot. Don't take new orders unless they fit what's already planned.

Don't let labels slip

Under pressure, it's tempting to reuse last year's labels or skip them. Check every label against this year's ingredients, especially if you've changed a supplier. See how to write an ingredients list.

Doing it in MakrPrep

Put every Christmas order in as it arrives. The Production plan shows what to make each day, Recipes to prep scales each recipe and shared component, the Shopping list works out what to buy, and you tick each line done as you go so the stock stays right. Reports then shows how this December compares with last.