“It’s actually very east to get five stars,” says Brian Whelan, who has worked in environmental health for 20-years. “Any well-run kitchen should get a five star rating. They are given everything in order to comply; there is a book with guidelines to follow, it even has a cleaning schedule set out for them, so all people have to do is follow it, stick to it, and they will be fine.” Easy as it may be, there are currently eleven establishments in Darlington that on their last inspection fell short of the three star satisfactory standards of food hygiene. Of those eleven, six are listed as having one star, meaning that a major improvement is required. Mr Whelan, who works for Darlington Borough Council’s environmental health section, spends part of his working week inspecting premises to check their hygiene standards are up to scratch. I joined him on an unannounced visit to two establishments that requested a rescoring visit to check on improvements made since losing their five star rating at their last inspection; Uno Momento in Darlington’s Blackwellgate, and The Oak Tree pub in Middleton St George.

First on the itinerary is Uno Momento. Many Echo readers expressed shock when the popular Italian restaurant was given a hygiene rating of just one star at its last inspection in May. The thriving town centre venue serves up to 2,000 meals a week and its management were quick to insist that the low rating was due primarily to incomplete paperwork. That certainly formed one element of the poor result, but as Mr Whelan explains: “You would not lose four stars for absent paperwork. There was definitely more to it than that.” Upon Mr Whelan’s re-visit it is clear that much has been done to improve the state of the kitchen. There is a new wash basin for staff to wash their hands – an issue that was a cause for concern at the last inspection – and aside from a problem with a fridge temperature, which Mr Whelan is assured an engineer has been contacted about, there is little cause for concern about the kitchen’s cleanliness. Mr Whelan hikes its rating up to four stars, explaining that it would have been five if it had been a routine visit, but he had to take into account the loss of confidence arising from the last unsatisfactory inspection.

Manager Cetin Odabasi would of course have preferred to go straight back to five stars, but he accepts Mr Whelan’s verdict. “The last rating was disappointing,” he said. “We have over 20 people working here and it does affect us. We are all doing what we can to put everything back to normal and get back on the track that we were on.”

With four stars handed out, it’s onto The Oak Tree in Middleton St George; a popular destination pub well-known for its home-cooked meals. A re-visit was requested after the pub was downgraded to one star for a series of hygiene failings. It fares better on the re-inspection. Mr Whelan looks in the microwaves, asks questions about the cleaning regime and checks that food is being stored safely in the fridges. “You’re always looking,” he says. “I might be washing my hands, but whilst I’m doing that I’ll still be looking around and watching things. You can pick up small things that give you an idea about how a kitchen is being run. For example, there may be a hand wash basin for staff, but if you have a look in it and it is completely dry, then you have to question whether anybody is actually using it.” Mr Whelan is not entirely satisfied with the improvements made by The Oak Tree since his last visit, but he does conclude that it is now at a satisfactory level so he brings the rating up to three stars.

Mr Whelan’s department follows guidelines set by the Food Standards Agency and officers submit the ratings that then appear online. Officers do have the power to immediately close premises if they are deemed a serious health risk to customers, but such instances are relatively rare and the decision has to be ratified by a court within three days of a venue being closed. This has happened in Darlington, usually where rodent infestations are involved, but as the council’s environmental health manager Barry Pearson explains, the authority would rather help businesses improve than shut them down. “It is important for us to work with the businesses and the food hygiene rating scheme gives food businesses a real incentive to maintain high standards,” he says. “The venues that are likely to end up being prosecuted are the ones who always drop down after being rated highly because you know they are not being consistent with their hygiene standards.” Thankfully instances of customers contracting food poisoning after eating out in Darlington are very rare. In fact, Mr Whelan says you are probably more likely to become ill after eating high-risk foods such as raw fish and meat more commonly served in high-end city venues than you are tucking into some chips from a Darlington takeaway. And here’s hoping that Mr Pearson and his team can help to keep it that way.

The hygiene ratings of all the eateries in Darlington, and across the country, can be seen at ratings.food.gov.uk