Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

MasterChef judge falls foul of inspectors

Rob Hastings
Friday 18 February 2011 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A London restaurant owned by the MasterChef judge John Torode has received only two out of a potential five stars for cleanliness.

Smiths of Smithfield was rated as merely "fair" in hygiene and safety – thus failing to live up to the flawless standards Torode expects of contestants on the BBC1 show.

Health inspectors for Islington Council said that they had only "some" confidence in the restaurant's management. They reported: "Hand-washing in cooking and preparation areas requires improving."

They also criticised the restaurant for not supplying paper towels in the dispenser for workers to dry their hands, in breach of regulations.

Islington councillor Paul Smith said that the restaurant was "broadly compliant" following the last inspection, carried out in December 2009. This could be considered an improvement for Torode's establishment, however, which was marked down as poor in its 2007 report.

In response to the report's public airing, a spokesman for the chef said that it had been conducted "a while ago" and offered no further comment.

A new series of MasterChef began last week.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in