TOM Kitchin’s gastropub failed a food hygiene inspection on 18 grounds – including failing to tell customers their meal could contain a genetically modified ingredient.
It emerged last month that the celebrity chef’s Edinburgh eaterie The Southside Scran had become the fourth fail among three Kitchin restaurants in nine months.
The local council today released the full inspection report following a request under the Freedom of Information act.
Kitchin, who charges £40-a-head at the gastropub, says his mantra is “from nature to plate”.
But the inspection on November 13 last year revealed: “The cooking oil being used in your food contains genetically modified derived soya.
“The presence of ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms in your food must be communicated to your customers.
“This can be done by including the words: ‘This product contains genetically modified organisms’ on the menu to allow customers to make an informed choice.”
A related finding was that the restaurant was not following its own food allergens policy stating: “You have rules/policy on allergens present in your products however these were not up to date and did not reflect the current menu.”
There were 16 other fails, amounting to the eaterie receiving an “improvement required” rating.
He was told: “Many of these matters have been brought to your attention following previous inspections and therefore require your immediate attention. If these matters are not addressed by your next programmed inspection further enforcement action may be taken against you.”
one of the most serious issues was the restaurant’s burger policy, which saw the burgers being cooked at under 75 degrees C by chefs. This was found to have been corrected at a follow-up visit two days later.
Basic failings were also identified in the report, including: “No evidence of food hygiene training for food handlers.”
Inspectors also found: “The water at the wash hand basin in the main kitchen was not working and the hot water at the wash hand basin in the salad preparation kitchen was not working.
“Also, there were no means for staff to hygienically dry their hands at the wash hand basins in the rotisserie area or staff toilets.”
Another contravention stated: “The temperature of hot held food such as sauces was not being monitored or recorded.”
It added: “Some food in the fridges and freezers was not date coded.”
Yet another contravention involved: “Raw and cooked foods were not being adequately separated whilst stored within the freezers.”
The report pointed out: “There was no means of checking that food was reaching the correct temperatures during cooking in the rotisserie.”
And another contravention noted: “Your Personal Hygiene Rules do not state that staff should be free from illness for 48 hours before returning to work.”
Kitchen, 42, trained at Gleneagles Hotel and worked under chefs including Pierre Koffmann, Guy Savoy and Alain Ducasse, learning his trade in London, France, Monaco and Scotland.
In 2006 he became the youngest chef in Scotland to receive a Michelin star six months after opening The Kitchin. He has gone on to publish several cookbooks and has appeared on television programmes such as Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen.
