A Michelin-star restaurant has been given a two-star hygiene rating in a recent council inspection after “dirt and mould” was found in the fridge.
The Sportsman in Seasalter, near Whitstable in Kent, plunged from a perfect five-star food hygiene rating to a two-star rating, after inspectors found “dirt and mould on the ceiling in the walk-in refrigerator.”
The gastropub has won several awards since it was taken over by brothers Stephen and Phil Harris in 1999 and has hosted a number of famous faces including Daniel Craig and Gary Lineker.
But the much-loved restaurant has since dropped in the ratings following an inspection from Canterbury City Council.
While it scored “generally satisfactory” in the categories of hygiene food handling and management of food safety, inspectors said improvement is needed in the area of cleanliness and condition of facilities.
A council inspector who visited the restaurant in February said they had found “dirt and mould on the ceiling in the walk-in refrigerator”, according to Kent Online, and “ready to eat picked cucumber was stored in a heavily stained jug.”
The report also said: “I noted a member of staff eating in the kitchen, cloths over two chefs’ shoulders and one wearing several leather bracelets. You must review your personal hygiene policy."
Site owner Shepherd Neame said staff “took immediate action” to address the problems and have applied for a rescore, with a reinspection set to take place in the coming weeks.
Several structural issues were also noted in the building where some parts are nearly 400 years old, including damage to skirting boards and rusting on the rubber coating and shelves in the fridges.
Lighting to the lobby and dry food storage area was also deemed “insufficient” by the inspector to prepare food, to clean and check for any pests.
The Sportsman was once called one of the best restaurants in the world by chef Max Rocha, who runs London’s Cafe Cecilia and it has over 1,200 excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, as well as an overall high score of 4.4 out of five.
It was awarded a Michelin star in 2008 and was crowned the best pub in the UK in 2015.
Shepherd Neame has been contacted by the Standard for further comment.
