BOSSES at the Noisy Lobster have said they are “deeply disappointed” by the recent food hygiene inspection which has given them a one-out-of-five rating. 

The Avon Beach-based seafood restaurant was inspected by the Food Standards Agency on September 6 and given an overall rating of ‘major improvement necessary’. 

In a statement to the Echo, the restaurant said the poor rating “relates largely to isolated issues, mostly regarding paperwork and some processes”. 

But they insist it is not down to cleanliness. 

The statement said: “At the Noisy Lobster, the safety and satisfaction of our guests and staff are our top priorities.  

“We are fully committed to exceeding hygiene standards and delivering an exceptional dining experience, as reflected by our proud record of five-star food hygiene ratings for 12 consecutive years. 

“We were deeply disappointed to receive a one-star rating in a recent inspection by the Food Standards Agency.  

“This poor rating is not reflective of our consistently high standards, but relates largely to isolated issues, mostly regarding paperwork and some processes, but not our cleanliness.  

“We would like to reassure our guests that we’ve responded swiftly and decisively and we believe our general hygiene and safety standards are at an exceptional level, as they have been for the previous 12 years.”  

The agency’s website says the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building is ‘generally satisfactory’ and the hygienic food handling scored ’improvement necessary'. 

Meanwhile, the management of food safety category was rated ‘major improvement necessary’.

This includes “system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future”. 

The restaurant added: “We are confident in both our team and our internal processes and have formally requested a re-inspection.  

“We are fully committed to demonstrating that we not only meet but exceed all food hygiene standards and thank our loyal guests for their ongoing support.” 

Each week, the Food Standards Agency inspects businesses across the country, assessing hygiene and safety, structural compliance and confidence in management.  

Across the UK, every food outlet including convenience stores, restaurants, hospitals and care homes are given a hygiene rating.