Zero food hygiene rating for Isle of Wight tearoom

On March 5, Environmental Health inspectors visited The Stable Tea Room on High Street, Ryde.

In the fridge, no products were found with a use by sticker and there was no system of stock rotation and control.

Inspectors found BBQ chicken with a use by date of March 1, mouldy bread in the bread storage cupboard, and sauces, once opened, did not have a date label affixed.

They also found regular temperature monitoring of chilled, high-risk food was not being carried out.

A large quantity of food stored in the server area fridge was in disarray, with open food piled on top of each other, and food stored in the fridges was uncovered, with some contaminated with traces of other food.

In the utility drawer, inspectors found raw onions, which had black particles, touching and underneath a mobile phone and other items, and the wooden roller, even after cleaning, had pieces of cheese stuck on it.

The wash hand basin in the kitchen was obstructed from use, discouraging/preventing food handlers from washing their hands.

Inspectors also found a temperature probe was not being sanitised before/after each measurement.

Inspectors deemed the general standard of hygiene as “poor”, and the “dirty” kitchen required a full deep clean.

During a revisit on March 7, the utensil drawers were clean and only contained utensils, which were also clean, the wash hand basin was not obstructed, probe wipes were available, and the kitchen was cleaned.

Further issues inspectors noted included a kitchen light with a blown strip light bulb, the fridge seal in the server area was not sealing at the top, fridges had various areas of outside paintwork which had started to go rusty, and at the time of the inspection, the notice concerning allergens was not displayed.

The Ryde business got a total score of 55.

Any score greater than 50 is awarded with a zero food hygiene rating, meaning "urgent improvement is necessary". 

The County Press has contacted the business for a comment.