Steak and Roast says latest hygiene rating is' reflection of unfortunate circumstances' with high hopes for next inspection

Following an inspection on July 17, Steak and Roast Drayton, which used to be Valletta until a rebrand earlier this year, was awarded a rating of 1 - a significant drop from its previous 4 rating.

The inspection outlined that ‘major improvement is necessary’ for the management of food safety,

It found:

• Hygienic food handling - Hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage. Improvement necessary
• Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building - Including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene - Improvement necessary
• Management of food safety - System or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future- Major improvement necessary

But the owner Emily Strudwick, who is also a city councillor, is determined to regain the restaurant’s former score, saying the inspectors visited while the chef was dealing with a family bereavement.

The 29-year-old said: “The food and hygiene team entered the premises whilst we were closed and not operational as an active kitchen serving food.

“Our head chef’s father died the same day and wasn’t present on site, so our kitchen assistant was the only one on site at the time who obviously doesn’t have the knowledge on our operation like our head chef or main chef does. This unfortunately led the F&H team to ask him questions he simply didn’t know the answers to because it isn’t his role.

“Equally the normal routine checks prior to opening were yet to be complete as it was three hours before service was beginning that day.

“The score isn’t a reflection of our kitchen or hygiene, but a reflection of the unfortunate circumstances that day.”

Food businesses can achieve a hygiene score of 0 to 5, with 5 being the highest showing higher hygiene standards in food handling, building structure, and management systems.

The owner has confirmed that the ‘minor things’ that were mentioned in the inspection have been ‘resolved’ and ‘remedied’, and that the team welcomes customers to view the open kitchen any time they like.

Emily added: “We are confident that if the food and hygiene team inspected the property the day after it would have likely been rated 4 or a 5.

“We have paid for a reinspection which will take place in the next 8-10 weeks and we are confident we will get an increased score.

“We welcome any customers to view our open kitchen any time they like.”

For more information about the hygiene rating, click here.

For more information about Steak and Roast, click here.