A ONE star food hygiene rating has been handed to a Northumberland restaurant by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Bistro en Glaze, a restaurant, cafe or canteen at Main Road, Wylam, was given the score after assessment on October 14, the Food Standards Agency's website shows.

It means that of Northumberland's 634 restaurants, cafes and canteens with ratings, 557 (88 per cent) have ratings of five and just one has a zero rating.

The FSA deemed improvement was necessary regarding hygienic handling of food, the cleanliness and condition of facilities and the building, and the businesses' management of food safety.

UPDATE: The business was awarded a five-star food hygiene rating on May 11 2023.

Neil Paterson, the bistro's co-director, said: "Having previously been awarded a Food and Hygiene rating of five in April, we were of course deeply disappointed to receive a score of one at our latest inspection on October 14.

"What this boils down to is the environmental health officer (EHO) was unhappy with the level of documentation available on that visit. We were between two recording systems, one paper system and an online system and neither was complete at the time of the inspection. It was not that we were in anyway running an unhygienic kitchen, but without proof that our systems for preventing cross contamination were in place, the EHO had no option but to award a score of one, albeit temporarily.

"We operate a full HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system which identifies any potential points where food contamination could occur, from the temperature food is transported to us, through all the various stages of preparation and storage, to cooking temperatures and its final delivery to the customer.

"The new recording system is now fully functional using an online system called Leafe which allows accurate information recording in real time. This is working well now and allows us to prove all that we do. The EHO returned on November 18 and described everything as satisfactory.

"Unfortunately, the score of one now must stay in place until we apply for a formal revisit. This application and the payment for it were submitted today (Tuesday, November 22)," Mr Paterson said.