A five star food hygiene rating

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear!"

It was at the end of August, whilst selling fudge at a village show that I mentioned to a fellow food producer that I was long overdue a visit from the food standards agency. In fact, I was beginning to think that I'd been forgotten about!

Only a few days later, I received an email from my local council to say that I was due a rating. I invited them over that week, on a day that I knew I would be making fudge. 

Now let's be honest, as anyone who works in the catering/food production industry knows, we all dread that visit from the food safety officer. Obviously, I don't have anything to hide. My kitchen is clean, my health and hygiene certification is up to date and I have all the relevent paperwork to hand, but I've had the same officer visiting me for over twenty years, and this time it was somebody different (better the devil you know and all that!).

When she arrived, being on domestic premises, I let her in through the back door of our home kitchen. I can only presume that she thought that that was where I made my fudge. She stood and looked around momentarily, before I led her through the hall to my fudge kitchen. As she made her way through the fly screens I heard an "Oh wow!" Mr. Spoon (my fudge kettle) was busy boiling fudge and I was just about to chop up the previously made batch on the side ready to bag up the following day. 

A lot has changed within the food sector over the last few years with the introduction of Natasha's Law, but I'm pleased to say that I have stayed on the ball as far as allergens are concerned. My food labelling was checked over and when she asked if there was anything on my website to state that I use allergens in my kitchen, I headed over to my product Q&A page and read out the statement to her, followed by saying "Wow, I've even impressed myself there!"

Pest control, storage of ingredients, temperature and traceability records, certifications and risk assessments were just a few of the things checked, and I was given information on the free allergens course available on the Food Standards Agency website. This isn't a mandatory course, but it is something that I will do in the quieter months of January.

So there we are, she left very happy leaving me with my report and a 'very good' food hygiene rating, which you can view here. And as for the delay in assessing my kitchen, I was actually due a rating in 2020, but due to Covid, it was done via email as a questionnaire. Since then, there have been so many new start-ups working from domestic premises, that they have only just caught up.

Sadly, the food safety officer didn't like fudge, so she left empty handed!

They will be back to see me again in three years time.

Ruby. x