Ian Mckellen’s pub loses two stars over food hygiene issue

SIR Ian Mckellen’s London pub has seen its hygiene rating drop by two stars after inspectors discovered out-of-date food and a fridge operating at 16C.

The 500-year-old grade II listed public house, The Grapes in Limehouse, has been part-owned by the 83-year-old actor since 2011.

When hygiene inspectors from Tower Hamlets council visited the pub in October last year they found chicken curry and salmon which were 12 days out of date as well as 19-day-old noodles.

They also discovered one fridge operating at 16C – at least 11C over the temperature expected for food storage.

The required antibacterial soap was also found not to be available in the kitchen while a shelf where chopping boards were stored was dirty.

An inspectors’ report warned: “You must check the fridges daily and any out-of-date food must be discarded.”

It also recommended that a temperature probe be bought within a week to check the temperature of stored food and to fix the seals on the fridge doors, which were broken.

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian has owned The Grapes alongside his former partner and film director Sean Mathias and Russian-british businessman Lord Lebedev, since 2011, when the previous licensee retired. The trio are all directors of The Pies Pub Ltd.

The public house will now have the chance to regain its two lost food hygiene stars when another inspection is carried out in March.

A spokesman for the Tower Hamlets council confirmed that the pub had a 5-star rating until October 2022, when its rating slipped to 3-star.

They added: “We carry out regular checks on all food premises to ensure

When hygiene inspectors visited they found chicken curry and salmon which were 12 days out of date

the public is protected and that high standards are maintained.

“Our Food Safety Team is responsible for the inspection of more than 2,500 food businesses in the borough. This includes all food premises where food is handled, prepared, or stored – whether money is exchanged or not.

“Businesses are not pre-warned about impending spot checks; these are scheduled according to the degree of potential risk, ensuring high-risk premises are visited more frequently.”

Sir Ian Mckellen and Pies Pub Ltd were contacted for comment.