A tearoom in Abinger has insisted it is safe for customers after it received a food hygiene rating out of five. Abinger Tea Rooms, located on Guildford Road in the village of Abinger Hammer, were found to need major improvements in food safety management following an inspection of their tea room, which is attached a store, April 13.
The report, carried out by Mole Valley District Council’s environmental health and licensing team, revealed a number of issues with the organization of food in the preparation areas, including raw meat being stored on cooked foods such as sandwich fillings. They also found vegetables stored on the workshop floor near open doors, which meant they were at risk from pests.
They also said there was no evidence the store was trying to keep pets out of their premises and called for more precautions to be taken in the future. He also mentioned that the store had previously been asked to implement a food safety management procedure, but there was no evidence that this had been done.
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He states: “At the time of the visit, raw food, i.e. bacon, was stored on top/next to open cooked/ready-to-eat food, i.e. sandwich fillings and salads in the refrigerator. Any raw food that can drip or fall into the items below can lead to cross contamination that can lead to food poisoning.
“At the time of the visit, the fruits and vegetables were stored on the floor in the store, near open doors. Opened foods should not be placed on the floor in an area where they may become contaminated or present a pest hazard. At the time of inspection no protection to prevent entry of pests was in use, appropriate precautions should be implemented to prevent entry of food pests. »
However, the teahouse was rated as “generally satisfactory” with respect to hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building. It’s also a resident favorite with a five-star rating on its Tripadvisor. page. A recent review from May this year called their tea “sublime”.
Reacting to the report, Annie Williams, owner of the tearoom and shop, said she found the inspection report unfair. She was adamant her tearoom was safe for customers and said most of the issues found by inspectors were administrative.
She said: “From my point of view, it’s very unfair. It’s unfair that I’m given one when the place is perfectly and sufficiently safe. It’s simply because we don’t do the necessary paperwork. I just don’t have time to write everything down and that’s what they want – it doesn’t seem to make a difference whether you have common sense or not.
“You’ve been cooking sausages for 50-60 years and it’s been fine, but all of a sudden you have to write that you’ve tested every piece of meat. I appreciate that they do their job, but the thing is, there doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room for people who may be frantically busy trying to run a shop on their own.
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