The in-house restaurant at a popular Knutsford garden centre has taken action after receiving the lowest possible food hygiene rating, which indicated that ?urgent improvement? was needed.
The Rosary Restaurant at Fryer?s in Manchester Road was given a rating of zero by the Food Standards Agency following a visit on May 2, with the standard of cleanliness slammed as ?completely unacceptable?.
A report by the inspector also criticised the kitchen?s protection against pests and contamination, as well as its ventilation, lighting, and food storage methods.?A follow up visit on July 4 showed signs of improvement.
The inspector said in May: ?The standards of cleanliness in the restaurant are completely unacceptable.
?In the kitchen, wash-up, stores and yard areas, the structure was dirty and cluttered. This included the food preparation surfaces and inside the refrigerators.
?This situation cannot continue and the cleaning and staff training etc must be urgently reviewed in an effort to maintain cleaner standards and better food handling practices.?
Cobwebs were also visible in the kitchen, with hand contact points and equipment legs found to be dirty.
?Food in the kitchen fridges was out of date and undated,? the inspector said, referring to ratatouille that had expired on April 28 and tuna mayo from April 30, among other items. ?High risk foods? in the counter salad bars were also found to have been kept a double the maximum recommended temperature.
There were also concerns over the lack of food allergen information available ? a legal requirement for more than two years.
While no pests were seen during the visit, the inspector noted that ?rats have only recently been reported in the yard bin area?.
Recommendations included keeping food off the floor of the stores, screening or closing doors, and retraining staff in food-handling and hygiene.
A re-visit in July praised improved structure and cleanliness, while a new chef is also in place.
