An Ely caterer who once entertained former Prime Minister David Cameron for breakfast has been fined for food hygiene breaches – but insists the food was only one day out of date.
A spot-check on catering company Chambers & Fenner Limited owned by Deborah Fenner found out-of-date smoked salmon, clotted cream, Caesar dressing and a number of filled rolls.
The company, based at George Court, Bartholomew’s Walk, was fined £5,000 at Cambridge Magistrates Court, ordered to pay the sum of £1,000 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £170.
Ms Fenner, who also runs The Lunchbox in Ely, was ordered to pay a fine of £2,000 and £793.66 towards prosecution costs.
Inspectors also identified black mould growth on the fridge and freezer. Staff did not know what temperature to store chilled food and failed to wash their hands correctly.
Some foods were not stored properly and essential monitoring records had been incorrectly filled out.
Ms Fenner told the Ely Standard after the hearing: “There’s a lot that went on. It has been a long battle with the council and I can’t fight them.
“Everything was only one day out of date and the items were just in the one fridge. Somebody forgot to check that one fridge that day.”
Councillor Carol Sennitt, service delivery champion for environmental services, said: “When an inspector made an unannounced visit to Chambers & Fenner last July, it revealed no effective food safety management system and poor hygiene standards.
“Public safety is very important and in this case public health was deemed to be at risk.
“We work very hard with businesses in the area to try to ensure they keep up food safety standards.
“In this case we were disappointed to find advice had not been followed and standards had slipped. For the protection of the public we had to take legal action.”
She added: “Business owners who run food establishments must comply with food laws or be prepared to face the consequences – we will not allow them to put safety of at risk.
“Our environmental health team is here to help and if you do run an establishment and you need advice around food legislation please get in touch.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here