Officials recently closed the Rose and Crown pub in Thaxted, Essex, after discovering piles of expired and putrid ingredients. The discovery was made after a surprise inspection by environmental health officers on December 9 last year. Inspectors caught the owner preparing food in the rancid conditions in a case described by one hygiene expert as the worst she had ever seen.
Nearly 200 items of rotting food were found and in total 190 items of ‘mouldy, slimy, putrescent or expired foodstuffs’ were found at the scene. Inspectors were appalled by stinking pots containing decaying beans and vegetables, most of which were covered with a thick layer of fungus.
Work surfaces and utensils were smothered in thick grease, floors littered with rotting detritus and fridges were covered in mould and rotting food containers.