Indian Chef: Sheffield restaurant found preparing food in room with rat faeces

**PLEASE NOTE: Indian Chef was re-inspected on 20/03/24 where it secured a five-out-of-five hygiene rating. The restaurant has disputed what was stated by inspectors in this article. Read more by clicking here**

Indian Chef in Crookes was handed a 1-star food hygiene rating by Sheffield City Council health officers earlier this year.

The restauant was given its current low rating on the Food Standards Agency scoring system when it was last inspected on Wednesday, January 10. The establishment scored 'improvement necessary' for both hygienic food handling and the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, and 'major improvement necessary' for management of food safety.

In a letter following the inspection, which has been seen by The Star following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, an environmental health officer noted a number of required works that needed completion in order to be compliant with food hygiene laws.

It revealed that rat droppings were found in an area where staff were preparing and storing food.

It read: "At the time of my inspection there were rat droppings present in the rear storage/preparation area. Now the pest proofing has been completed, you must instruct your pest contractor to commence treatment. As discussed, open food must not be stored or prepared in this area and you agreed to stop using the room for this purpose."

It added: "Given the conditions found at the time of inspection, it is considered by the visiting officer that the food hygiene knowledge held by the food handlers needs to be updated."

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At the time of inspection, food was found being left out overnight on the cooker, such as large pans of stock and sauces due to 'inadequate refrigerated space'. The restaurant was told to provide suitable refrigerator space in order to keep high risk food at 8C and below.

Dirty cloths and sponges were present on food surfaces and were being used to clean down and mop up spillages. It was noted that cloths must be kept clean, disinfected and replaced frequently and washed on the hottest setting in a washing machine.

Staff were also told to keep the premises clean, paying particular attention to food storage and preparation areas, such as work surfaces, equipment and hand contact surfaces.

The report also said: "At the time of inspection, you were not putting in place effective controls to ensure food safety, especially regarding cleaning effectively and food being stored at the correct legal temperature.

"At this time, given the risks found regarding the cleanliness of the premises, I strongly advise you to review your management of food allergens. I strongly advise that you do not make 'free from' pledges at this time."