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Monday 19 January 2015

Where not to eat in Derbyshire


Derbyshire Times has a long list of food outlets with low hygiene ratings. Some even have a rating of zero.

Four food outlets across Derbyshire were given a zero-star hygiene rating in 2014, it can be revealed.

The damning scores – based on the latest inspections by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) – mean “urgent improvement” is necessary.

Ratings are based on how the food is handled, the condition and cleanliness of the premises and the management of the business which includes good record keeping.


All very interesting for those of us who sometimes eat out in Derbyshire, but we'd rarely touch a place with less than a five star rating anyway. These things are insidious though. There was a time when the general appearance of a place was enough, those tiny and not so tiny clues which scruffy folk seem unable to hide.

Now we look for the rating and I'm not sure it's an improvement. Not only that but one naturally goes on to wonder if such schemes will ever move on to other aspects of official nutritional approval. Should we expect a lettuce rating to arrive in due course?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

One used to judge the quality of a pub by the amount of encrusted sticky gunge under the front lip of the bar top. The more beer swilled the better. The only time I ever got food poisoning was in a 5*. So be brave, be a contrarist.

A K Haart said...

Roger - we've had food poisoning a number of times so we pay attention to ratings. What it delivers I'm not so sure though. Lots of paperwork behind the scenes is my guess.