A popular Shanklin hotel has been slapped with a one-star food hygiene rating after cross-contamination risks and out-of-date food were found.
The Brunswick Hotel owners have said in all their time in the hospitality industry they have never received a rating this low, and it was highly frustrating the issues raised were over machines and not the standard of the kitchen or quality of food.
Inspectors from the Isle of Wight Council’s environmental health department visited the hotel on Queens Road in September and found major improvement was necessary.
Among the issues, inspectors found food items past their use-by date, including three packets of salmon (17 days prior); butternut puree (seven days); parma ham (six days); containers of beef fillet and Tamora beef (one day) and berries (one day).
There was a risk of physical contamination as chocolate-covered strawberries were left in the fridge uncovered.
Inspectors also found the walls, tiles, grout and skirting around the deep fat fryer were dirty and greasy.
In the walk-in chiller, walls were damaged or the plastic cladding was coming apart and the sealant around the sink in the washing-up area was mouldy.
The hotel said it has since addressed the age-related issues with the chiller, but it will be refitted when the hotel is shut next month.
The main issue the inspector found was the vacuum packing machine — which staff had not been adequately trained to use — but posed a risk of cross-contamination as raw foods were being vacuum packed on the ready-to-eat-only machine.
At the time, a voluntary stop took place on using the vacuum packing machine to stop the ‘major’ risk, as E.coli may contaminate the surfaces.
It, and the water bath, has since been removed from the kitchen.
Owners Jenna and Paul Massey said the score is not a reflection of the hotel’s professionalism or standards and at the time of the inspection the head chef and managers were away on holiday but implemented the improvements when they returned.
They said:
“We have been in hospitality for a long time and have never received ratings this low.
"It is highly frustrating that the main issue during the visit was the vacuum packing machine and not the standard of our kitchen or the quality of the food we served and yet such a low score was given. ”
The chef who was in charge at the time of the inspection is no longer with the hotel, they said, and staff have undergone further food safety training.
Inspectors have been back since to check the hotel, and the hotel said the inspectors were happy with the improvements with no issues found.
The hotel is currently awaiting a re-inspection.
Mr and Mrs Massey say the hotel’s kitchen had a number of issues when they took it over and they spent over £50,000 to rectify them.
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