A months-old steak, leaking taps and unclean surfaces all contributed to a high-end Liverpool city centre hotel being hit with a one star hygiene rating.
The 30 James Street hotel was inspected by environmental health officers from Liverpool City Council on March 29 and was hit with the second lowest score for hygiene - meaning that major improvement is necessary.
The ECHO used Freedom of Information laws to receive a copy of the full inspection report. The inspection uncovered a host of issues across two kitchens that led to the poor rating.
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In the eighth floor kitchen, inspectors said there was no surface sanitiser in the kitchen, with a number of areas found to be unclean and 'evident of a build up of food debris.'
In the banqueting kitchen, inspectors found a fillet steak in a walk-in freezer. It had a use-by date of January 6. There was also a water leak located in the basement storage area, possibly due to an ice machine.
Cleaning was also found to be required for the floor surfaces and equipment surfaces under the cooking range.
Notes from the inspectors in the official report suggest these issues were not being raised for the first time in relation to 30 James Street.
The report states: "I note that issues noted above were noted/outstanding from the previous inspection. You must ensure you follow your food safety management procedure in practice. It was unclear at the time of the inspection what management system was being used.
"It was clear from the issues noted above that procedures were not being followed."
30 James Street was recently bought by German firm RIMC Hotels and Resorts, which owns a number of sites around Europe. The sale was completed in May after the inspection was carried out - meaning the new owners were not responsible for the results of the inspection.
The hotel was previously put up for sale in October 2021 but the move was shelved in August last year after the asking price of £12.5m failed to be met.
Savills marketed the property having appointed Legacy Hotels, which is known for running the Pullman Hotel on the waterfront, to operate the business in July 2020 .
Food businesses in Liverpool are routinely inspected by local authority hygiene teams. A health officer will look at three criteria when inspecting a premises. These include how hygienically the food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored, the cleanliness, layout, lighting and ventilation of the building and how the business manages what it does to make sure food is safe.
Each establishment receives its rating following an inspection conducted by a food safety officer from the council. A rating of zero means urgent improvement is necessary, one means major improvement is required while two means improvement is needed. A rating of three means the premises is generally satisfactory, four is good and five is very good.
Since purchasing 30 James Street, RIMC has promised to make significant investments in the Grade II listed hotel that was the former headquarters of the White Star Shipping Line.
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