The Filth and the Fury

AFTER our story about Manchester’s food hygiene ratings (click here) it got me thinking. How clean are the eateries where I live, in Salford.

Five of them scored a pathetic 1, including two of the three curry houses that are always busy and an independent Italian place. The biggest pub in the village, The Blue Bell, scored a frankly rubbish 2, as did Cromptons at The Waterside, a well-regarded place and my local.

I live in Monton, just off the main road. It’s a nice little place. We’ve got pubs, takeaways, restaurants – even a deli. ‘It's the Didsbury of Salford,’ someone remarked when I moved there five years ago. It’s not, but I like it for that. It’s as chic as Salford will ever allow itself to get, and there’s a great local community who all get on, mostly.

I invest a fair bit of time and money in local food and drink places. So I decided to run them all through the Food Standard Agency’s database.

Of 17 places, only one scored above a 3 (generally satisfactory) and one of them – Pachino’s Pizza – scored a big fat zero (urgent improvement necessary).

Five of them scored a pathetic 1 (major improvement necessary) including two of the three curry houses that are always busy and an independent Italian place. The biggest pub in the village, The Blue Bell, scored a frankly rubbish 2 (improvement necessary), as did Cromptons at the Waterside, a well-regarded place and my local.

The two main restaurants, Blacksticks and Felicini, both scored 3 (generally satisfactory) and the highest score was a 4 (good), which was only managed by one place – The Drop Inn pub.

All in all, the village should hang its head in collective shame. It’s not good enough. The full scores are below – full of 1, 2 and 3 scores, a single 4 and only one 5 in the entire village...from the Tesco Express that seemed to stir up such hatred when news of its arrival caught on.

But the food hygiene lists are a valuable thing for consumers. Not every local authority has made them public, but Manchester and Salford have. And good on them.

And to the bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes out there...we’re watching you.

Blacksticks

MONTON: THE SCORES:

Scored 0 – (Urgent improvement necessary)

Pachino’s Pizza

1 (Major improvement necessary)

Bon Appetit

Foxton’s Bakery

Leo’s Pizzeria

Shabna Tandoori

Naz Tandoori (restaurant and takeaway)

2 (Improvement necessary)

The Blue Bell

Cromptons at The Waterside

3 (Generally satisfactory)

Blacksticks

Felicini

The Park Hotel

Passage to India

Playfoot’s

The Coffee House

Ivy Deli

Monton Fish Bar

4 (Good)

The Drop Inn