Just read this Fiona , and I doubt they will be displaying their certificate to the public !! Where I work we have a 5 , but then we don't have open food , hot food display , or any prep areas , and most of the score is in record keeping , showing due diligence They like to see a paperwork trail with things like temperature checklists and date checking . The fact that these things are done normally is not enough you need to have paperwork to back it up , in other words you need a manager with a clipboard walking round ticking boxes .

Years ago when I worked for a very well respected food retailer we had in house inspection tests but we all knew when it was going to happen as the the " test box " arrived on the refrigerated delivery , thus a mad panic ensued and everywhere was cleaned from top to bottom , all utensils left swimming in food friendly disinfectant , brand new cutting boards handed out etc etc , the main problems that always led to a bad result though were cleaning cloths left around ( they harbour bacteria ) and bin lids !! These things are easily overlooked as everyone makes sure all machines and work surfaces sparkle assuming only they will be tested .

The open display counters and prep rooms usually got great results , the worst place always was the kitchen in the staff canteen !!!

I will be booking a meal there when I fly in November and will make sure I give the cutlery a thorough examination and making sure my champagne glass is sparkling clean with no smears .

Not good at all, most local kebab shops manage a 3 or 4. Maybe it's just as well I can't afford to go in the flounge or the Concorde room even on AVIOS. Imagine how you would feel if you had paid £10,000 for your ticket

Beardy must be having a little chuckle to himself about it.

It will probably be sorted by November Andy, as I think the inspection was back in July and I bet they are working to sort it out as I assume they will be reinspected.

Doe

I suspect the poor score is down to poor housekeeping and record keeping , it's hard to imagine that the equipment is in bad condition as the facilities are not that old which would be marked in the inspection , it would be interesting to read the inspection which took place in July this year , all previous inspections from 2012 in the lounges and staff restaurants were scored 5/5 , so it does not suggest poor management in general . The score will be of major embarrassment though and I'm sure that the areas of concern will be looked into immediately , it certainly isn't acceptable especially when you take into account that other airline lounges at Heathrow have been marked as 5/5 , I think a couple have scored 4/5 .

One person who won't be chuckling is Mr Ramsey , his Plane Food also scored 2/5 , can't possibly imagine what he had to say about that Also read somewhere that the Ivy only scored 2/5 too , not that I have the money or status to frequent those places

Perhaps I'll steer clear of the biscuit jars

I suppose the food itself can't have been making people ill, or we would have been reading about it, can't imagine all those business travellers keeping schtum if they had spent transatlantic crossings in the loo or not been able to make it to all those very important meetings lol.

I reckon it's a management issue as well so in theory easier to sort.

Doe