We have previously discussed on this blog the Michelin starred restaurants which have been caught out with regards to food hygiene. Well, it appears another one has failed the health and safety test.

A two-star Michelin restaurant in Canterbury, Kent, was rated a one star for its food hygiene by health inspectors, putting it below a local elderly day centre cafe. While the lowest possible ranking is zero, a single star does mean “a poor level of compliance with food safety legislation - much more effort required.”

And, what is the reason for this low score, I hear you cry; well according the restaurant manager they were going through the process of changing health and safety consultants at the time of the inspection in February. Personally, we feel this is a pitiful excuse. Hygiene standards should always be the top priority if you own/work in an establishment that serves food to the general public.

It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how much you are spending on the meal, you shouldn’t take standards for granted. You could be safer eating food cooked in a greasy spoon or a day care centre, than from a high-brow restaurant.

One night only venues

Laterooms.com is running a competition for consumers to experience one-off hotel stays at unusual locations, including the Eden Project in Cornwall and The London Dungeons.

As part of the competition, the company also surveyed 1,500 people to find out where, if there were no boundaries, they would like to stay for the night. Here are the top ten results:

1. Buckingham Palace

2. Edinburgh Castle

3. Eden Project, Cornwall

4. Downing Street

5. Tower of London

6. Harrods store in London

7. Balmoral, Scotland

8. Stonehenge

9. Old Trafford football stadium, Manchester

10. An aquarium

It would usually be at this point that we would advise anyone staying away at a hotel or other venue to remember health and safety. But, to be honest, if you are staying the night in Jack The Ripper’s chamber I think coming out alive is your main priority (if this blog had sound effects, there would be a wicked laugh sounding right about now!)

The list above only covers the UK, so we would be interested to know what unusual places overseas you would like to spend a night? A pyramid in Egypt or the Taj Mahal, maybe?

Every year we run the Cristal Awards, which honours hotels that have worked hard to achieve consistently exceptional levels of health and safety, and this year was no different. So roll out the red carpet, don your ball gown or tux and take a comfortable seat.

The results are in…. (drum roll, please)

The 2008 Global Award goes to…. The Parador de Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The 2008 Group Award is presented to… Barceló Hotels & Resorts

(Interlude for a commercial break)

The 2008 National Winners are as follows….

• The Sunwing Resort, Sandy Bay Village in Cyprus
• The Barcelo Praha in the Czech Republic
• The Barceló Bacaro Casino in the Domican Republic
• The Savoy in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
• The Barceló Cologne City Centre in Germany
• The Sunwing Sun Garden in Rhodes, Greece
• The Gran Bahia Principe in Jamaica
• The Barceló Maya Complex in Mexico
• The Parador de Santiago de Compostela in Spain
• The Club Hammamet Beach in Tunisia

A big well done to all the hotels and chains that won a 2008 Cristal award - keep up the good work.

If anyone has any positive experiences that they wish to share on these establishments then please comment on this entry.

As mentioned before, we like to trawl the web to see what is being discussed with regards to health and safety, travel and hygiene. So, in a spare five minutes this morning, we found a rather interesting article on The Belfast Telegraph linking global warming to food poisoning.

The piece suggested that global warming could create hundreds of extra cases of food poisoning, because bacteria will prosper during the hotter summer months. This could potentially create 10,000 extra cases in the UK a year.

To be honest, this article shocked us a little. We work with hotels all over the world, in much hotter climes than the UK, who are faced with the challenge of high temperatures on a daily basis. And, while there are some that could be doing better, there are many that are very successful in protecting their guests from contracting food poisoning.

It would be naive to say that rising temperatures won’t have an impact on food poisoning cases, but as long as the general public, hoteliers and restauranteurs continue to correctly store and thoroughly cook food it needn’t be built up to be the “most significant health issue the world has ever faced…”, as this article suggests.

A survey of 3,219 adults by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found that nearly 60 per cent of over 60s are failing to correctly identify the use by date on foods and potentially, as a result, exposing themselves to the deadly Listeria bacteria.

It appears that people have a more frugal attitude during the recession and do not wanting to throw away perfectly good food. Instead of following the use by date, consumers seem to be relying on their sense of smell. But, Andrew Wadge, chief scientist at FSA, makes a really good point within an article in the Daily Telegraph:

“Smelling food isn’t enough; you can’t smell Salmonella, E.Coli and Listeria – all potential killers.”

Listeria is one of the least well-known food poisoning bacteria, and we think that it is great that the FSA is on a drive to make the general public more aware of the threat that it holds. But, this isn’t just limited to the food you buy in supermarkets; the dangers extend to food on holiday and eaten out at restaurants. The best piece of advice, is to use your common sense and to inform someone in authority if you have any concerns.

If you do have any questions, then feel free to comment on this entry and we will come back to you ASAP.

This week, our very own, Jason Burnett, appeared on BBC Radio Kent advising the public on the importance of food safety at summer BBQs. For those who missed Jason’s interview, or are from different areas of the country, you can catch his appearance again on iPlayer:

Click here to listen to the interview.

Gordon Ramsay is in Australia this week to be the face to the Good Food and Wine Show and has experienced his own kitchen nightmare. Unfortunately, the world famous chef hasn’t been able to leave his hotel room after contracting a nasty case of food poisoning.

Ramsay took a break from throwing up to send out a comment, as you do, to the world’s media: “I have had a severe food virus and I was constantly vomiting. But, I had a jab in the butt and had some penicillin and I felt a lot better at three this morning. I got off the plane after a 16-hour flight from Los Angeles and I don’t know what happened but at least I’m now on the road to recovery.”

Food poisoning is never nice, particularly if you are suffering away from your creature comforts of home, so our sympathies are with him - get well soon Gordon.

With summer now upon us, the dusty BBQs are being dragged from the garden shed, the tongs are being sharpened and, in time-honoured tradition, sausages are preparing to be burnt.

But, how far down the checklist does hygiene fall when you are preparing a BBQ for family and friends? Nine out of ten cases of food poisoning in the home occurs at BBQs. And, while most expect a sore head from a beverage or two, no one wants to wake up with food poisoning.

Here we serve up some advice on how to avoid contracting, and causing, a nasty case of food poisoning this summer:

• Throw a shrimp on the barbie… King prawns and other seafood alternatives, are taking over the humble burger as the king of the BBQ grill. But, this soar in popularity means that more care needs to be taken in the cooking process. Undercooked shellfish can be extremely dangerous and is one of the main sources of Campylobacter, also known as the barbecue bug, which can cause headaches, dizziness, fevers, stomach pains and diarrhoea. Make sure it is hot all the way through before serving this fishy favourite to your guests.
• Burnt doesn’t mean cooked…. It is an art form that has been passed down through the generations from one BBQ chef to another – how to burn the banger. But, just because it is burnt doesn’t mean that it is cooked. If you do get served a sausage that is pink in the middle, graciously refuse it. If you don’t, then you could live to regret it when you contract Salmonella and experience fever, vomiting and stomach pains.
• Green for all the wrong reasons…. Five per cent of mixed raw vegetable salads in the UK are contaminated with Listeria, which can be particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can cause a miscarriage. Make sure that any fruit and vegetables served are washed thoroughly, even pre-prepared packs, before dishing it up for your guests.
• 30-minute rule… Where possible, food should be served immediately after it has been cooked. Food that has been kept warm can be a breeding ground for bacteria and can lead to infections such as the Norovirus, resulting in stomach cramps and aching limbs. By sticking to the 30 minute rule - will what I’m cooking be consumed in the next 30 minutes? - then not only will you reduce the risk of serving up a dash of Norovirus with the food but, will also cut down on wastage.
• Cooked - raw divide… After you’ve stocked up on supplies for the BBQ always store raw meats at the bottom of the fridge so that the juices cannot drip onto other fresh food and contaminate it. The same should be applied when physically handling fresh meat. Germs, such as the E-Coli bacteria, can easily move from your hands and then onto anything else you touch, including plates, cooking utensils and other food. Simple steps such as washing your hands every time you handle raw meat, using separate utensils for cooked and fresh produce, and never putting cooked food on a plate which has had raw meat on, can help to minimise the risks.

120,000 cases of food poisoning were reported in the summer of 2008, but by following a few simple precautions people can reduce the risks.

Travelodge has researched 3,300 people and produced a list of the top ten British destinations of choice for people choosing to holiday at home:

1. Cornwall

2. Lake District

3. Yorkshire Dales

4.Scottish Highlands & Islands

5. Edinburgh

6. London

7. Isle of Wight

8. Devon

9. Norfolk Broads

10. South Wales

I have to say, we were a little disappointed to see Wales fall to the bottom of the list, we may be biased, but South Wales has some of the most beautiful beaches and countryside in the UK. That said, there was tough competition from the likes of Devon, Cornwall and the Lake District – all of which are stunning.

Wherever you choose to holiday this year, please remember to check with your agent or hotelier that your accommodation has been thoroughly checked for hygiene and safety. For most, this will be their one break of the year and by simply asking the question they can enjoy it with peace of mind.

Now I understand it when people say “I can’t start the day without a cuppa tea”, I’m a coffee fan myself, but nevertheless my morning cup is very important.

But, research from Asda supermarket shows that this British obsession has been taken to a new extreme. Apparently, in a poll of 1,500, 43 per cent of people insist on packing a box of teabags for their foreign trips. Other items that are taken abroad are Marmite, ketchup, coffee, mustard and pickle. Surely these are items that people can live without for a couple of weeks? You go on holiday to absorb the culture, including food, of the destination not to whip out a jar of mustard with your paella.

The strangest finding from the survey: one of the 1,500 admitted to packing pork pies in their suitcase on foreign holidays. After a few hours of travelling and being incorrectly stored, wouldn’t advise eating that pie!