Lake District: Briery Wood Hotel handed one-star food hygiene rating

Briery Wood Hotel in Windermere, which has previously been awarded 1 AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence, was given the rating after an inspection on August 5.

"It’s important to note that this rating does not reflect the quality of food or hygiene at Briery Wood," said a spokesman.

"We are confident that when our rating is officially reviewed in January, we will return to our usual five-star standard, with all of the necessary strategies now firmly in place."

Here’s what each food hygiene rating means:

0 - Urgent improvement necessary

1 - Major improvement necessary

2 - Some improvement necessary

3 - Hygiene standards generally satisfactory

4 - Hygiene standards good

5 - Hygiene standards very good

Inspectors rated Management of Food Safety as 'Generally Satisfactory'.

This encompasses systems or checks that are in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat.

Evidence was displayed that staff knew about food safety and the food safety officer had confidence that standards would be maintained in the future.

Where it was rated poorly however was 'Hygienic food handling' and 'Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building'.

A 'Major Improvement' was deemed necessary for 'hygienic handling of food' including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage

The hotel was also told 'Major Improvement' was necessary improve the 'cleanliness and condition of facilities and the building' including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene.

(Image: Food Standards Agency) A spokesperson for Briery Wood Hotel said:  "We take our recent 1-star food hygiene rating at Briery Wood very seriously and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify the situation.

"The inspection highlighted three main areas for improvement: some of our equipment was slightly outdated, our paperwork and systems needed updates, and these areas, rather than the quality of our food or hygiene, were the focus of the review.

"Since the inspection, we have addressed all of these concerns with urgency. Our team has worked tirelessly to update our equipment, modernise our systems, and ensure all paperwork is fully compliant.

"The inspector revisited us last week and was extremely pleased with the outstanding progress we've made in such a short time.

"We are confident that when our rating is officially reviewed in January, we will return to our usual 5-star standard, with all of the necessary strategies now firmly in place.

"It’s important to note that this rating does not reflect the quality of food or hygiene at Briery Wood.

"We are proud to have a talented team in the kitchen, producing award-winning AA Rosette dishes daily, utilising fresh, local produce.

"Our commitment to exceptional dining experiences remains unchanged, and we continue to serve guests with the highest standards."