UPDATE - 18 July 2019: Vendees Local has informed us that it recently received a five-star rating. The FSA website shows it was last inspected on June 5 with a rating of five.

A TOTAL of seven eateries in Chester have been told to make significant improvements to their hygiene standards following an inspection this year.

Six establishments received a score of one – meaning ‘major improvement necessary’ - on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) five-star scale.

And one venue - Café Naj on Hoole Road - received a score of ‘0’, or ‘urgent improvement necessary’, following an inspection on March 14 this year.

A spokesman for the FSA said: “Ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection. It is the responsibility of the business to comply with food hygiene law at all times.”

The six premises with a rating of one following inspections in 2019 are:

• Little Mollington Hall, on Parkgate Road, Mollington. Last inspection: April 17, 2019.

• River Queen Takeaway, Garden Lane. Last Inspection: March 6, 2019.

• Delhi Street, Faulkner Street, Hoole. Last Inspection: March 14, 2019.

• Sea Breeze, Faulkner Street, Hoole. Last Inspection: February 13, 2019.

• Chester Street Fish Bar, Chester Street, Saltney. Last Inspection: March 20, 2019.

• Vendees Local, Queens Park View, Chester. Last Inspection: February 18, 2019.

Inspections judge a premises on a range of criteria, including: handling of food; how food is stored; how food is prepared; cleanliness of facilities; and how food safety is managed.

The food hygiene rating scheme does not provide information on the likes of food quality, customer service, culinary skill, presentation or comfort.

The FSA spokesman added: “The rating shows how well the business is doing overall, based on standards found at the time of inspection.

“The ratings can be found online and on stickers which are displayed at business premises. The back of the sticker and the online rating will also show the date of the inspection by the local authority’s food safety officer.”

At the inspection, the officer will check the following three elements:

  • How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored.
  • The physical condition of the business – including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities.
  • How the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained. The officer can then assess the level of confidence in standards being maintained in the future.

Customers who think they may have food poisoning are urged to seek medical advice from a GP and contact their local environmental health or food safety team.