Two of the three wouldn't bother with a CU in the shed, opting for a beefy fused spur (like you get for cookers), and no one was willing to bury the cable, saying they'd pass it on the floor behind some planters
This sounds an awful lot like something you could replicate with a £20 extension lead.
Actually I don't quite see how you could run a light switch off a 40A spur without something functionally equivalent to a fuse box in the shed.
I mean, a fused connection unit is almost literally a fuse box (it’s a fuse in a box, innit). Bang a 3a fuse in there and you can run 1.5mm cable out for your lighting. Again, not my style, but technically ok (although I’d need to double check the wiring regs).
This sounds an awful lot like something you could replicate with a £20 extension lead.
Actually I don't quite see how you could run a light switch off a 40A spur without something functionally equivalent to a fuse box in the shed.