A LUXURY hotel which was urged to make "major improvements" after a damning food safety inspection left it with just a one-star hygiene rating is asking members of the public to inspect its kitchens.

The owner of Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa in Durham has since admitted that he was left "embarrassed and disappointed" by the conditions that were uncovered in a recent inspection. 

Hygiene conditions were branded "completely unacceptable" after Durham County Council inspectors identified a number of problems in a visit in January. 

Significant issues ranging from how hygienically the food was handled, food storage, poor cleaning and unclean equipment were identified in the damning visit.

Inspectors found that the general standard of cleanliness was 'poor,' after inspectors found ventilation units covered with a layer of mould growth, kitchen wall surfaces covered with a layer of 'flocculated' mass, and mould on lighting within refrigerated units.

However on Wednesday, the owner of Ramside Estates - which owns the hotel - said he was asking members of the public to personally inspect the kitchens after it 'recitifed' the areas of concern.

The owner, John Adamson, said he was “disappointed and embarrassed” by the initial rating but claimed environmental health officers were now satisfied with the work carried out when they returned to the hotel.

Suggesting he was "fully confident" that the hotel would achieve a higher score, he addressed concerns and said there was "no reason not to eat" at the hotel's several food venues.

He said: “We want to reassure our many guests that their well-being is our top priority and we welcome anyone to come and visit the hotel and see the kitchens for themselves.

“Our other hotels have four and five star ratings and we are putting a whole programme in place to ensure these problems never arise again.”

New plans

Following the damning report, Ramside Hall said an independent environmental health officer would make monthly visits to ensure standards are maintained - it also said additional training would be given to staff.

Ramside Hall is waiting for a further visit from environmental health officers in the coming weeks so that the rating can be revised.

Anyone wanting to visit the kitchens is asked to email Ramside’s group health and safety officer, Ian Moffat - iain.moffat@ramsidehallhotel.co.uk