Three Somerset businesses with the worst food hygiene ratings in April

Combe House Hotel in Nether Stowey received a food hygiene rating of one after an inspection on April 8 that found out-of-date food, poor washing facilities and unhygienic food storage.

The Somerset hotel describes itself as offering "luxury" accommodation and "superb food" on its website, with single rooms available for around £125 a night.

While the cleanliness of the site was "generally satisfactory", the inspection found there were "major improvements necessary" for the management of food safety at the hotel.

The hygiene officer's report at Comb House Hotel noted that "as mentioned in the previous report, [there is] out-of-date food and poorly labelled food such as 7/8 day old egg mayonnaise, coleslaw from the 24th [over two weeks before the inspection], and unlabelled duck."

The officer found that at the only handwash basin in the kitchen, there was no working hot water, no blue roll in the dispenser, and no soap available. They did note the hot water issue was fixed, although the only cleaning fluid at the sink was washing up liquid.

The report said: "At the time of inspection, there was almost no food safety management system, just some monitoring up to February.

"The business must ensure food is covered to protect it from contamination [as there are] 2 examples in the pastry fridge were of food which was not covered."

The food hygiene officer noted that "the hot tap in pastry [kitchen] is encrusted with food debris and required cleaning." The business was also instructed to clean the utensils drawer and the fridges, paint a flaking pipe in the kitchen, and replace dirty tea towels and chopping boards.

In a statement to the Somerset County Gazette, Combe House Hotel said: "We would like to sincerely thank the officers for their detailed report, valuable advice, and continued support.

"Their guidance will enable us to address, rectify and conclude the issues identified within the prescribed timeframes."

Next, Testimony African Food Store, an international food retail outlet registered in Yeovil, was also found by the council's food standards team as requiring major improvements to the management of food safety following an inspection on April 4.

The report noted that there were "multiple packs [of] frozen meat with no label on sale". Other concerns included food being sold without a country of origin or ingredients list. The officer noted that "although requested at my last inspection, [there is] still no written food management system in place".

The food officer did find that the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building at Testimony African Food Store was "good", and that the hygienic food handling was "generally satisfactory."

Speaking to the Somerset County Gazette, a spokesperson for Testimony African Food Store said: "The rating was based on our lack of up-to-date documentation and not due to any cleanliness or health and safety concerns within the shop.

"In fact, we were cleared on the cleanliness and hygiene standards of the shop. Our records have since been updated, and measures have been put in place to ensure they remain up to date at all times.

The spokesperson advised they are pursuing a re-assessment of the store to improve their rating soon, adding "we are a law-abiding corporate company committed to complying with all rules and regulations."

The last local business to receive the poor hygiene rating is C&J Quality Meats in Wincanton. Following an inspection on April 10, the food officer found that while the food handling and facilities cleanliness were "generally satisfactory", the management of food safety again requires "major improvement."

The inspector found that cooked ham was being stored at room temperature, meat was being stored directly at the bottom of the fridge, and some beef fillets were already past their use-by date. The officer raised concerns about a lack of adequate waste arrangements, open food wrapping, and no separate hand washing and equipment washing basins.

The report also found there was "no food registration evidence" and "no food management system", meaning some products didn't have adequate labelling. A revisit of the site was conducted on April 24 by officers, with necessary improvements for the business outlined.

C&J Quality Meats did not respond to requests for comment.