St Wilfrid’s Nursery manager hits back at food hygiene claims

Pia-Mari Powell, manager of St Wilfrid’s Nursery, said the problems largely surrounded required written policies, and after the inspection the nursery had immediately amended its food hygiene policy and associated procedures.

Her comments came after The Press revealed yesterday how food hygiene at 26 restaurants, pubs, bars, takeaways and canteens in the city was classed as “very poor” on a new website aimed at helping diners choose where to eat.

As part of a new scheme, called Scores On The Doors, inspectors from City of York Council’s Food And Safety Unit visited 995 establishments in the past year, assessing the kitchens in three areas – food hygiene, structural safety and confidence in whether management could turn things around.

The Food And Safety Unit gave every organisation an overall mark, ranging from no stars to five stars.

The Monkgate nursery, which has more than 50 children on its books and is open from 8am to 6pm, was given no stars. Mrs Powell said all the food for the children at the nursery was prepared in its kitchen, apart from lunches, which were made at the adjoining St Wilfrid’s RC Primary School.

Breakfasts, snacks and “tea time food” – pre-evening dinner snacks such as scrambled egg on toast – were prepared in the nursery’s kitchen, she said.

She said: “As a newly opened nursery, we welcomed the advice given during the routine food hygiene inspection. “We immediately amended our existing food hygiene policy and associated procedures.

“The food hygiene inspector was then invited back to discuss these changes, and he was happy that we had complied with all issues initially raised.”

She said food hygiene was part of the nursery’s healthy eating and keeping safe programme it was teaching its children.

As part of the programme, fruit and vegetables were provided for the children.

“We teach them to always wash their hands before they eat and to blow their noses when they need to,” she said.

In York, 77 premises achieved the top ranking, while 26 have been warned to improve their standards after receiving bottom marks – signifying almost total non-compliance with the Food Law Code of Practice.

But top York chef Michael Hjort has warned the scores are only a snapshot and may give a misleading picture.

Business owners are being encouraged to display their scores in their premises, but the public can also check out the scores at scoresonthedoors.org.uk

Scores on the doors

PREMISES which gained the top mark of five were as follows: A Barker & Son, York Street, Dunnington, York; Acomb Gables & Community Unit, Oak Rise, York; ASK, Blake Street, York; B Select, York Road, Acomb, York; Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms, St Helen’s Square, York; Blair Atholl Nursing Home, York Road, Haxby, York; Bradshaw’s of York Ltd, Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, York; Bright Beginnings, Rawcliffe Drive, York; Burger King Limited, Stirling Road, Clifton Moor Centre, York; Clifton Park Treatment Centre, Bluebeck Drive, York; Co-op Late Shop, East Parade, York; Co-op Late Shop, Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York; Cooplands, Davygate, York; Copmanthorpe Primary School, Low Green, Copmanthorpe, York; Costa Coffee, Platform 8, Station Road, York; Daisy Chain Nursery, Cinder Lane, Heworth, York; Divine Dining, Forestgate, Haxby, York; Domino Pizza, Bishopthorpe Road, York; Dunnington CE Primary School, Pear Tree Lane, Dunnington, York; E & J Cockerill & Son, Millfield Lane, York; Elvington CE Primary School, Dauby Lane, Elvington; Fire Station Restaurant, Haxby Road, York; Food Angels, Clifton, York; Frankie & Benny’s Restaurant, Foss Islands Road, York; Greggs the Bakers, Pavement, York; Hilton York Hotel, Tower Street, York; Hob Moor Oaks Primary School, Wheatlands Grove, York; Hotel 53, Piccadilly, York; Hotel Du Vin & Bistro, The Mount, York; Il Bertorelli, Clifford Street, York; Istanbul Grill, Fishergate, York; Jigsaw Café, Norwich Union, Rougier Street, York; Jigsaw Café, Norwich Union, Wellington Row, York; Little Bettys, Stonegate, York; McDonalds Restaurants Ltd, Blake Street, York; McDonalds Restaurants Ltd, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington, York; Mount Royale Hotel Limited, The Mount, York; National Trust Café and Shop, Goodramgate, York; Nuffield Hospital, Haxby Road, York; Osbaldwick Primary School, The Leyes, Osbaldwick, York: Piccolino, Bridge Street, York; Poppleton Road Primary School, Poppleton Road, York; Postern Gate, Piccadilly, York; Premier Inn, Blossom Street, York; Quadrant Catering Ltd, Birch Park, Huntington, York; Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall Road, York; Ramada Encore York, Micklegate, York; Rawcliffe Infant School, Eastholme Drive, York; Sainsbury’s, Foss Bank, York; Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington, York; Scarcroft Green Nursery, Nunthorpe Road, York; Skelton Primary School, Brecksfields, Skelton, York; Somerfield Stores Ltd, The Village, Haxby, York; Somerset Nursing Home, Church Lane, Wheldrake, York; Spar Stores, 133 Lowther Street, York; St Leonard’s Hospice, Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York; Stockton-on-the-Forest Primary School, The Village, Stockton-on-the-Forest, York; Tenpin Ltd, Stirling Road, York; Tesco Café, Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York; Tesco Stores Ltd, Huntington Road, York; Tesco Stores Ltd, Stirling Road, Clifton Moor Centre, York: The Archways, Clarendon Court, York; The Farmers Cart, Towthorpe Moor Lane, Strensall, York; The Fothergil Homes, Avenue Road, York; The Lodge Residential Care Home, Main Street, Heslington, York; The Meadowbeck Care Home, Meadowbeck Close, Osbaldwick, York; The Wonder Years, Westfield Lane, Wigginton, York; Via Vecchia Shambles, York; Wigginton Primary School Westfield Lane, Wigginton, York; Woodhead, Kestrel Wood Way, Huntington, York; Woodhead, Bishopthorpe Road; Woodlands Respite Care Centre 120 Thief Lane, York; WRVS Café Wigginton Road, York; Yates’s Wine Lodge Church Lane, York; York City Football Club Ltd, Bootham Crescent, York; York Golf Range & Caravan Park, Towthorpe Moor Lane, Strensall, York; York Racecourse, Knavesmire Road, York.