Out-of-date cheese, food that was “not thoroughly cooked”, and “dirty” cloths were among the issues uncovered at a popular village pub’s food hygiene inspection. 

The Tuns at Sadberge were told that improvement was necessary after food safety officers handed the venue a two-star hygiene rating on September 6. 

The popular pub previously admitted it had made a "mistake" - but had “taken the necessary steps to rectify the matter” and recently hiring a new head chef and general manager. 

Now, the full report from the inspection has been released, revealing failings with “haphazard” labelling, out-of-date products like cream and goat cheese, and condiments being stored at an “ambient temperature”. 

The Tuns said last month that it wanted to address the recent inspection "head on", saying they worked fast to find a solution and take the "health and hygiene of our kitchen extremely seriously". 

A statement said: “We made a mistake, but we’re hoping our customers can support us through this time and the re-inspection shortly will show that it was just that, a mistake.”

 

Report details released

The inspection report detailed that food was “not being thoroughly cooked”, finding items including beef burgers and pork and steak pie filling being cooked to 63°C/64°C. 

Cream and goat’s cheese were being used beyond the use‐by date, which inspectors said presented a risk of bacterial growth that could lead to food poisoning. 

Labelling of foods was described as “haphazard”, with foods such as pork, steak, and fish appearing out of date. 

However, inspectors said they were informed these items were in fact from the freezer and were defrosting, and therefore not out of date. 

The report stated: “It was not clear from the labelling of foods what the shelf life of the foods were or when foods were opened. You must review your food labelling system to ensure food safety.”

Various condiments were being stored at an “ambient temperature” in the main kitchen and dry store when the manufacturer stated to store them in the fridge once opened. 

Dirty cloths were being used for cleaning surfaces and equipment, presenting a risk of contamination. 

The electric wall sockets and hand wash basin taps were also noted as areas that were dirty in particular, as well as the microwave and oven.

Inspectors also highlighted the dry store walls, ceiling, and some packaged food items as being “covered by cobwebs”.

The painted surface of the main kitchen walls was peeling/flaking and was “not capable of being effectively cleaned”. 

There was no soap at the washbasin in the bar, which prevented food handlers from effectively cleaning their hands. 

The report added that, while the Food Standards Agency’s Safer Food Better Business pack was being used, none of the safe methods had been completed. 

That said, at the time of the inspection, the fridge, freezer and food temperatures were being recorded by the business. 

The inspection also found there were “no robust procedures” in place for the effective management of allergens.

The allergy matrix that was onsite was old and the foods were no longer on sale. When asked what procedures were in place, the inspector was unable to establish any procedures.   

The level of food hygiene awareness amongst staff was also found to be inadequate. 

 

‘We want to address the concerns head on’

The Tuns was taken over in April, having previously been sold by its previous owner in 2022.

It holds an impressive 4.6 star rating on Google, being highly praised for its “efficient, friendly, and attentive” staff and “exceptional” food.

Responding to the hygiene report earlier this year, The Tuns said: “As some of you may be aware, we recently had our EHO inspection of which we was awarded a 2 out of five rating.

“We want to address the concerns head-on by letting our customers know we have taken the necessary steps to rectify the matter.

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“A new head chef and general manager have been appointed, and all points found in the report have now been addressed, including new equipment and updated training for all our staff. And we are awaiting a re-inspection shortly.

“We are aware of how poor the hygiene rating is, hence our fast response in finding a solution. We take the health and hygiene of our kitchen extremely seriously and we have worked extremely hard to rectify this. 

“We made a mistake, but we’re hoping our customers can support us through this time and the re-inspection shortly will show that it was just that, a mistake.”