Harvester restaurant received poor hygiene rating after 'very poor' cleanliness found
Full details have emerged of a hygiene inspection at a Black Country Harvester restaurant that received a two out of five rating.
The Foxhunt Harvester Public House in Hagley Road, Hayley Green, was given the score following an inspection on December 14 last year, and after told their general cleanliness standards were 'very poor', had a follow-up inspection seven days later, during which inspectors found that satisfactory progress had been made.
Food businesses are rated between zero and five, and the restaurant received the third-lowest rating of two.
Full details of the report have been obtained by the Express & Star following a FOI request, and the main concerns point out that the allergen procedures were not being adhered to, and that the general cleanliness standards were 'very poor' at the time of the visit.
The report states that the restaurant needed to prioritise actions and improvements in the following areas:
Compliance with food hygiene and safety procedures
Compliance with structural requirements
Confident in management/control procedures
In the letter addressed to Mitchells & Butlers PLC, the hygiene report said: "I was generally satisfied with most of the allergen management procedures which were verbally communicated to me, however some of the control measures to prevent allergen cross contamination were not documented within the safety policy.
"Review the allergen policy and back of house allergen service cycle to ensure it adequately covers all allergen management and cross contact/contamination risks and the necessary control measures are in place and implemented.
"Ensure all food in storage including within fridge and freezers is covered to protect it against contamination.
"The cleanliness standards at the time of the visit were very poor.
"It is unacceptable for a food business to operate in dirty conditions and the food hygiene rating has been adversely affected as a result.
"A revisit will take place on Wednesday 21/12/22 to assess progress and the improvements made. If unsatisfactory progress has been made enforcement action may be considered."
The report continued with a list of things to clean: "Thoroughly clean the yard floors to remove dirt, mud and debris. It is noted the walk-in freezer is located outside and so staff have to walk over the dirty floors, this mud is then being taken inside the kitchen which is unhygienic.
"There was no soap available at the Hand Wash Basin in the staff toilet. Ensure soap is available at all Hand Wash Basins at all times.
"Cellar - Remove any mould growth from any walls and ceilings of the cellar, paying particular attention to the cellar drop area.
"Boiler Room - Thoroughly clean the floors to remove any debris and dead insects.
"Kitchen - Remove the mould growth and clean the shelving within the walk-in chiller near to the pulled pork."
A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers, said: "“We take the cleanliness of our restaurant very seriously and have been working closely with the local environmental health officer (EHO) to ensure all the issues raised were fixed.
“The EHO revisited a week after their initial visit and were happy with the immediate progress and actions we had taken.”
A spokesperson from Dudley Council confirmed that a reinspection did take place on Wednesday, December 21, and that satisfactory progress was made in the follow-up, and that there is no ongoing investigation in terms of any legal action being considered.
