Pub served with one-star rating
BOSSES SAY CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE
A POPULAR Teesside pub has been issued with a one-star hygiene rating with health bosses saying ‘major improvement’ is needed.
The Apple Tree, in Marton, was issued with the rating after food safety officers carried out an inspection on March 7.
The Food Standards Agency website states that improvements need to be made in the handling of food, cleanliness and condition of the building and facilities and the management of food safety.
However, the pub bosses say they have been working closely with Middlesbrough Council and are awaiting a revisit following changes they have made at The Derby venue.
The Food Standards Agency said the report showed “hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage” needed improvement.
Improvement was also necessary for the “cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene”.
However, major improvements were necessary in the “system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future”.
A spokesperson for the Apple Tree said: “We are working closely with the council and are already waiting for a revisit. We have put new procedures in place, all staff have been retrained and all issues have been rectified.
“We had structural damage which we were waiting to get repaired and the same style tubs we had used for years, and have had many visits before while using these, we were told we can’t use. This affected our rating massively. We have switched to new tubs and we hope that our revisit will show we are working at a five-star standard.”