Lucy Scott is preparing to reopen her garden cake shed this summer, 20 months after a series of anonymous complaints to her local council led to investigations and her eventual decision to close it. The complaints, which she believes came from neighbors, targeted the number of customers visiting her Selsey, West Sussex home and, at one point, falsely claimed the operation was attracting vermin.
Scott, a professional cake maker for 14 years, had operated the "cake shed" from her front garden on Saturdays to supplement her income. The shed, a small, pastel-painted wooden structure, sold homemade bakes such as brownies and cupcakes. Customers were drawn to the shed after seeing Scott's creations on TikTok, where she has a large following. Some customers traveled up to three hours to purchase her goods.
In April 2024, Scott received her first call from Chichester District Council regarding an anonymous complaint about the number of people visiting her property. She clarified that customers only visited the garden shed and did not enter her home. Shortly after, a neighbor confronted her about the Saturday traffic, prompting Scott to promise she would advise customers to use a nearby residents' car park.
A second complaint alleged that the cake shed was attracting rats. A council inspector visited Scott's home and garden, finding no issues and confirming her five-star food hygiene rating and written permission to sell from her property. The inspector reportedly described her home and garden as "spotlessly clean."
Despite these reassurances, the complaints continued and began to feel like a "sustained attack." Scott expressed feeling unsettled and paranoid, noting that the negativity wore her down. The shed was also damaged by storms, and around the same time, Scott's marriage ended, leading her to close the shed for good.
However, a TikTok video Scott posted about closing the shed and the complaints she received garnered significant attention, with many followers urging her to reopen. Now, Scott is preparing to relaunch the venture, viewing it as a way to boost her finances and demonstrate to those who complained that she cannot be easily deterred. She stated, "This is my way of showing the busybodies who complained last time that they won’t get me down - and can’t get rid of me that easily. You could call it sweet revenge."