Michelin-starred chef 'not embarrassed' by one-star hygiene rating
There may be a handful of Michelin-starred restaurants in Wales, but there is only one institution with two - and it recently scored a worrying one-star food hygiene rating.
Every establishment selling food in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is subjected to evaluation via the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS).
The idea is that a safety officer from the local authority heads down to deliver a ‘snapshot’ of the hygiene standards found at the time of the visit, with ratings based on how food is stored, prepared, and handled, as well as how clean the surrounding facilities are.
If you’re given a five star review by health officials, then experts believe your establishment is running successfully with ‘very good’ hygiene standards.
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A four-star statement means standards are ‘good’, while three and below correlates to the idea that there is some serious work to be done.
Businesses that are awarded a low food hygiene rating are at serious risk of closure at the hands of a UK Environmental Health Officer (EHO), as per The Safer Food Group.
One restaurant whose standards have apparently fallen into the red of late is Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms.
Priding itself on being Wales’ only two-Michelin-star restaurant, the luxury eatery is charging £400 to eat in its exclusive restaurant this January, with guests having to fork out for a mandatory stay, too.
According to Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms’ website, prices currently begin at £1,266.
Room add ons, such as a bottle of sparkling Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs or Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé, are sure to bump the price up even further.
The BBC reported that, on 5 November, the prestigious establishment was visited and later handed a one star food hygiene rating.
Published inspection results claim that the restaurant's management of food safety required ‘major improvement’, while facility and building cleanliness and condition needed improvement.
'Hygienic food handling' was rated ‘generally satisfactory’.
Speaking about the shock rating, chef patron Gareth Ward - who is also known for featuring on MasterChef The Professionals in 2019 as a mentor - said he wasn’t ‘embarrassed’, nor was he ‘upset’.
“The people in life that push the hardest and think outside the box and do something different will always have to deal with this kind of stuff,” he told the BBC.
“I'm not at all ashamed but I am disappointed. I'm not sat here thinking 'Oh my god, I'm embarrassed, I've done something wrong', because we haven't. What we have done is something different.”
Ward, who has been working on the premises since 2013, alleged that he was questioned on his use of raw ingredients during the officer's visit.
“We buy in the best ingredients from around the world and a lot of it I serve raw," he said.
"I'm buying sashimi-grade fish from Japan and they're questioning, 'Well, we don't know the water, so how do we know it's sashimi grade?'”
Documentation provided by Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms also may have contributed to the low food safety score, Ward claimed.
He admitted some of the paperwork provided ‘wasn’t right’, remarking that ‘sometimes you miss stuff or sometimes you write stuff down wrong or forget stuff.’
A spokesperson for the restaurant confirmed to The Caterer that points made by food health officials have already been addressed ‘in full’.
“Ynyshir operates with cooking techniques and processes heavily influenced by Japanese ingredients and methodologies,” they continued.
“This approach involves specialised preparation and handling practices that differ from conventional kitchen operations. We operate at the highest professional level and are proud to work with some of the finest suppliers and ingredients from across the globe.
“We remain fully confident in our processes, our team and the safety of our operation. As always, our focus is on delivering an exceptional and safe dining experience for every guest who visits us.”
FOODbible has approached Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms for further comment.
Ella Scott