“Home-made” is a term defined very simply and specifically in dictionaries:
- made or prepared in the home; of domestic manufacture
- made at home using traditional methods rather than by a manufacturer
- made by oneself
- crudely or simply made
Consumers understand the term “home-made” to mean food prepared in a domestic kitchen rather than in a factory or a manufacturer’s kitchen. The use of the term, if unqualified, should accordingly be restricted to the broad criteria above.
In commercial catering premises, the term “home-made” should be restricted to the preparation of the recipe on the premises, from primary ingredients, in a way that reflects a typical domestic situation. This should not be achieved simply by the assembly of wholly pre-prepared elements, or simple reconstitution from dry base mixes, but must involve some degree of fundamental culinary preparation. However, as in domestic preparation, it would be legitimate for caterers to use partly-prepared ingredients; typical examples could include the use of pre-prepared raw pastry, bakery bread in desserts or stock cubes in sauces.
