Two-star Michelin chef hits back at one-star hygiene rating

Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, near Machynlleth in Ceredigion, was awarded its first Michelin star in 2014, a year after it first opened its doors. It received its second in 2022, making it the first and only restaurant in Wales with two Michelin stars.

However, the FSA deemed that "major improvement" was necessary after inspectors raised concerns about its use of raw ingredients after a visit on November 5.

Speaking to the BBC, chef patron Gareth Ward said his kitchen was working "at the highest standard in the world" and doing "something different" with how it approaches raw ingredients.

Ward told the BBC on Wednesday: "We buy in the best ingredients from around the world and a lot of it I serve raw. I'm buying sashimi-grade fish from Japan and they're questioning, 'well, we don't know the water, so how do we know it's sashimi grade?'

"Well, it is sashimi grade, this stuff's eaten raw all over the world and, just because our rules don't fit their rules, they're questioning it. I've got a salt chamber for ageing fish but they obviously don't like the idea of ageing stuff."

Ward, a former contestant on MasterChef: The Professionals, said Ynyshir had a £50,000 freezer capable of reaching temperatures of -80C (-112F). After the inspection, the restaurant’s fish was sent away for independent laboratory testing, which had "all come back absolutely clear".

"The people in life that push the hardest and think outside the box and do something different will always have to deal with this kind of stuff," he added. "My standards never drop below 100%.

"I'm not at all ashamed but I am disappointed. I'm not sat here thinking 'oh my god, I'm embarrassed, I've done something wrong', because we haven't. What we have done is something different."

However, he admitted that the food safety officers were “not 100% wrong” and has since taken measures such as installing an additional hand-washing station in the fish preparation area.

Ward also revealed paperwork problems contributed to the poor score, adding: "Some of our paperwork wasn’t right, and that’s our fault. Sometimes you miss stuff or sometimes you write stuff down wrong or forget… I’d need a full-time office worker doing the paperwork to get it perfect every time.”

A spokesperson for Ynyshir said the restaurant had requested a reinspection but no date had been set.