The Standard pub in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was also found to have ‘dirty’ areas in its kitchen
The Standard pub in Northallerton(Image: Google maps)
A popular Northallerton pub was slapped with a one-star hygiene rating after mouldy meat pies and out of date food was found in the kitchen. Inspectors from North Yorkshire Council visited The Standard in November last year and found major improvements were necessary for the management of food safety and hygienic food handling needed improvement.
The report into the findings at the High Street pub also found that some areas in the kitchen were dirty and foods stored in the fridges and freezers, were placed at risk of contamination. However, a spokesperson for the pub said the kitchen has been closed for the moment so all the issues, including some structural problems in the kitchen, can be put right.
Inspectors said: “Suitable food safety management procedures were not in place to protect foods from all risks of contamination. As the food business operator, you must look at the ways you handle and prepare food and put in place procedures that follow the ‘Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. These were discussed with your staff during the inspection.”
They said during the inspection risks to food safety were found and must be rectified and included in your food safety management system. These included:
Mouldy meat pies were found in the fridgeFoods such as cream and black pudding were past the manufacturers use-by dates identifying a lack of control over the foods you sell.Raw meat and cooked foods stored together in a fridge posing a risk of cross contamination.Unlabelled foods in the fridges and freezers such as cooked meats, and other prepared foods meaning you could not show how old the food was, or when it was to be used by. Implement a date labelling system to ensure good stock rotation.
Inspectors said although the pub had a completed ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ pack, it was obvious from the conditions found during the inspection, that procedures were not being followed. They said foods stored in the fridges and freezers, were placed at risk of contamination due to uncovered foods in the freezer being exposed to freezer burn, raw meat was being stored in the fridge in the cellar above and next to cooked foods.
Inspectors went on to say: “The general standard of cleanliness of the kitchen was not satisfactory. All parts of your premises must be kept clean and maintained in good condition.”
They said there were areas which were dirty and must be thoroughly cleaned, issues included:
Food debris was noted on the floor of the kitchen, under the cooking equipment, wash up area and below shelvingTouch points in the kitchen such as light switches and plug sockets were greasy and dirtyWall behind the fryer was greasyMicrowave which had splashed food and debris to the internal surfacesFryer which had a build up of congealed grease to the unit itself and the fryer basketsChest freezer in the outside storage area had black mould growth to the lid, seals, and main frame of the unit
The spokesperson said work is being carried out to sort all the issues. He said there have been some issues with structural problems in the kitchen, including a leaky roof. He said: “The kitchen has been shut since the grading. It is going to be shut the whole of January.”
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