Wirral's restaurants and take aways with a zero star rating for food hygiene

source

All restaurants and take aways featured in the list below were inspected last year, with all of them being described as having "poor" or "very bad" structural compliance.

The food outlets that received zero rating are:

Coffee Aroma

Located at Brunswick Court, Price Street, Birkenhead, Coffee Aroma received this hygiene rating in August last year.

The owner said: “It was all down to the temperature books not being kept up to date and there were a few bits and bobs that needed altering, but they have been fixed now.”

Shanterz

Shanterz is the restaurant located on Tam O Shanter's Urban Farm at Boundary Road, Bidston.

Operator Mark Gill explained: “We were not given a pre-visit as we had requested.

"Being on a farm we will never be able to achieve the five star rating, but we have made improvements to improve for our next inspection.”

Gibson’s Butchers

Location: Allport Lane, Bromborough.

Owner Peter Gibson explained how his shop was due to receive a new hygiene rating.

He said: “Hopefully we will have an improved score, officers have been out last week and today to inspect us.”

Golden Lion

Location: Argyle Street South, Tranmere.

Golden Lion refused to comment when approached by the Globe.

Pizza Nite

Location: Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry.

Having reopened following a closure last year, the owner insisted his business is back on track and is confident the rating will improve.

Tasty Bites Café

Location: Laird Street, Birkenhead.

The owner did not wish to discuss details but stressed that she did not agree the rating her business had been given.

Ali's Balti

Location: Laird Street Birkenhead.

The owner of Ali’s Balti was not available when contacted by the Globe.

Among businesses across Wirral who also had received a zero food hygiene rating were two food stores and two off-licences.

All rating were correct at the time of publication on February 29.

Ratings may change following further inspections.

Visit www.food.gov.uk

Probably find most of our own kitchens would get low ratings---depending on when the inspectors called. Do they actually hang around to see how food is prepped and handled and cooked. Even the most tidiest and cleanest on appearance can be undone by poor prep and handling..
Have eaten at Shanterz and Tasty Bites and lived to tell the tale.

Shanterz is fine, I've never had a problem with it. Nice bacon toasties!

Supposed to be clean all the time not just when the hygiene officials are due around.
Disgusting.

Another 53 only got one star too . Sometimes I think though its things like 'the storage tray was an inch lower than it should have been ' and stuff like that.

Venice has a good point - some of the points to do with ratings are admin, record-keeping etc. The urban farm cafe has now had work done - extractor fans, tiling etc - and is awaiting re-inspection and regrading; the farm is confident that there will be a much better result this time. Don't let that old rating put you off visiting.

There are many achieve 5 star ratings, even establishments you might not expect.

Many fail on the basics like dating chilled food - or even worse mixing various dates of food without keeping track. Another favourite is the separation of raw and cooked food and the equipment used.

If it wasn't for the number of 5 stars that are achieved I would believe it could be over-bureaucratic but its a standard that is clearly achievable.

They are told beforehand about the visit, so they can clean up.
I've worked in a couple of places that were filthy in the kitchen.

I think giving advanced warning is wrong.

Remembering years ago in one of my first jobs. Timber co. Inspectors came to inspect the mills, and I sent them straight up there. Bloody hell, did I get a telling off for not telling those in the mill first. Why ? Because they had the guards off all the machinery.

As it happened ,only a few months later, one of the lads lost his fingers.