Top chef defends one-star hygiene rating at his Michelin-star restaurant
A top chef has defended a Michelin-starred Welsh restaurant after it was given one star for hygiene by health inspectors.
Gareth Ward insisted he was “not ashamed” of his review of Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, near Machynlleth in Ceredigion, which charged almost £500 per person for dinner.
Wales’ only two-Michelin-starred restaurant was awarded a score of one out of five, meaning “major improvement required”, following an inspection by food safety officers last November.
But Mr. Ward, the chef behind the restaurant, was also one of the contestants. MasterChef: The ProfessionalsHe told the BBC that Ynyshir was working to “the highest standard in the world” and argued that he was simply doing “something different” in his approach to raw materials and techniques.
The Michelin Guide describes the restaurant as “a truly unique experience.”
But inspection results published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) state that food safety management at Ynyshir requires “major improvement”, while the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building also need to be improved. Hygienic food handling was rated “generally satisfactory”.
Mr Ward claimed that among the points raised by inspectors they questioned the restaurant’s use of both raw and stale ingredients.
But he told the BBC: “We source the best ingredients from around the world and I serve most of it raw.
“I buy sashimi-grade fish from Japan and they ask the question: ‘We don’t know the water, so how do we know it’s the sashimi grade?’ Well, it’s the sashimi variety, this thing is eaten raw all over the world, and they’re questioning it because our rules don’t match their rules.”
He added: “I have a salt room for aging fish, but they obviously don’t like the idea of aging fish.”
But the chief insisted he was confident.
He told the broadcaster: “I’m not ashamed of it, I’m not upset about it.
“The people who push the hardest in life, who think outside the box and do something different, will always have to deal with these things.
“My standards never fall below 100 percent.
“I’m not ashamed at all, but I’m disappointed. I don’t sit here and think, ‘Oh my God, I’m embarrassed, I did something wrong,’ because we didn’t. What we did is something different.”
Ceredigion County Council, which carried out the inspection, said: “The council stands by the professional judgment of our staff in applying UK food hygiene standards and will have no further comment.”
The FSA said if a low rating was given, immediate or major improvements to hygiene standards were required.
Independent approached Ynyshir for further comments.
