Hyde Park’s worst restaurants and shops for hygiene

Josh Elgin on 12 January 2024

A mouldy ice machine, a lack of hand washing, the improper storage of cooked food and inaccurate allergen information.

These are just some of the issues that inspectors have discovered during visits to restaurants and convenience stores across Hyde Park.

The Food Standards Agency, who check if food providers produce food that is safe to eat, considers the cleanliness of the premises, the type of food they make, how they work and how they attempt to reduce risks. They have the right to enter and inspect food premises at all reasonable hours and will typically come without notice.

They rank all businesses with a score of zero to five. Between zero and two is considered a failing grade, and three to five is satisfactory.

Whilst the rating they give is public, the inspection reports are hidden and have to be requested which The Gryphon has done for the worst performing restaurants and shops in Hyde Park.

One-star ratings

Chicken Stop

The fast food takeaway which is located next to The Hyde Park Picture House was last inspected on 2 February 2023.

It was awarded a one-star rating, meaning major improvements are needed.

The inspection report said the business was failing to refrigerate high-risk food such as open sauce bottles and cheese at the right temperature.

It said the kitchen floor was “ingrained with dirt” and the walls and ceiling were covered in grease. It recommended that the wash hand basins were cleaned and kept from obstruction and said the fridges and freezers also needed to be cleaned.

Rustica

The Italian takeaway, which is located opposite the University of Leeds Parkinson Building, was last inspected on 6 June 2023.

They, again, were told major improvement was required. Food was found stored uncovered in fridges and freezers, including some in tin cans.

The surfaces in the kitchen were “generally dusty” and the business was told to clean the cooking canopy, the floor under and behind the fryers and the inside of the fridges. They were also told to immediately repair the leaking waste pipe connected to the wash hand basin.

The temperature of the water for that basin was found to be too cold and the basin itself needed to be cleaned according to the report.

The food hygiene knowledge of the staff was found to be poor, with training required. There was also no allergen management procedure which the inspectors had already requested the last time they visited.

Noshi Foods

The convenience store located next to the Leeds Grand Mosque was last inspected on 8 November 2022.

They were warned to stop storing ready-to-eat food next to raw meat in the cold room.

They were also told to clean the inside of the cold room, with the inspector finding “mouldy walls” and dirty ceilings as well as a “filthy” fan unit.

They were told to ensure that the butchery wash hand basin had hot water and asked to train staff on food hygiene.

Two-star ratings

La Besi Restaurant

The Italian restaurant which allows customers to bring their own booze is located opposite the University of Leeds School of Chemical and Process Engineering.

The business was found to be failing to cool cooked food quickly enough and inside the fridge, raw meat was found stored above cooked food.

Food was found stored in open tin cans which poses a risk that chemicals from the can could contaminate the food.

The staff were found to be washing their hands in the equipment sink, which goes against the procedure.

“Mould and bacterial growth” was seen inside the ice machine and the bar glass washer also required cleaning.

The kitchen floor, walls and ceiling were covered in grease and the business was slammed for having incorrect allergen information displayed on their house salad.

Go Gold Local

The convenience store which is attached to the student accommodation building Marsden House and opposite The Tannery was last inspected on 24 August 2022.

No hot water was provided in the hand wash basin and food was found stored on the floor.

An employee was unable to explain the fitness to work requirements which requires that employees who handle food and have suffered from infection don’t return to work for at least 48 hours after their symptoms stop.

‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’: work, an ‘employment drought’ and the financial struggle of students

Sian Watson on 12 January 2024

The Gryphon conducted an anonymous survey into University of Leeds students either looking for work or already in employment during term-time.

The cost-of-living crisis leaves many students finding themselves struggling to embrace the ‘student life’ due to financial struggles.

Across the UK, 55% of students are now working a part-time job in addition to their studies. This is higher than in previous years, fuelled by the rising gap between maintenance loan allowance and living costs.

According to Russell Group universities, The Department for Education bases the maintenance loan calculations on outdated projections, assessing household earnings from 2008. The calculations do not consider the financial hit of the pandemic and the subsequent rise in inflation. The annual inflation rate in 2008 measured at 3.99%, compared to the current UK inflation rate at 4.6%, which is lower compared to 6.7% earlier in the year, and 11.10% in 2022. 

These out-of-date projections result in students having to supplement their loans with paid-work and/or living off small weekly budgets. 

Costs have risen, with rent rising 14.6% for students in the past 2 years alone. However, maintenance loans have not matched this- increasing at the slimmer 5.2%. Because of this gap, student housing charity Unipol and the Higher Education Policy Institute published a report estimating that, on average, students are left with 50p a week to cover other living costs after paying rent and bills. This includes food shops, course costs, any social expenses, transport fees and so on. Many students now are forced to seek work in a situation that has been described as a ‘job drought’. Furthermore, those who have found paid work find the balance with their studies difficult to manage. Whether students are sacrificing social activities or their studies, many agree the living crisis is negatively impacting their university experience. 

A National Union of Students survey found that 1 in 7 university students across the UK work full-time on top of their studies. Other research by Save the Student reports that 56,000 students are undertaking to sex work to financially survive at university. 

An anonymous survey conducted by The Gryphon has found that 83% of respondents at the University of Leeds receive a maintenance loan, but over half of those surveyed said that their loan on its own does not cover their rent. 73% say the cost-of-living crisis means it is compulsory for them to have a part-time job alongside university. 

Comments from students who have found employment whilst studying at Leeds university find a common ground in sacrificing part of their ‘university experience’: “Not much of a social life”,

“I work nights, so I’ve missed a fair few lectures and seminars the next day”, “I’ve had to sacrifice society events, nights out, and sleep in order to catch up with university assignments”, “I work every Friday and Saturday, which means I usually have to sacrifice weekend social plans to work. It also means I must make sure I get all my studying done during the week as I have little time at the weekends”, “I’m cutting costs everywhere I possibly can. I had issues with an unexpected timetable change, and I had to be demoted at my job because of it., 

“Can be hard to manage the work life balance with uni and work but it is completely necessary to work as a result of my maintenance loan only just covering my rent”

“It’s a huge disadvantage for those who have to work alongside study.”

Those who have managed to find employment find themselves in a “vicious cycle” of balancing studies and social activities with the growing need to work more hours, but the cost-of-living has left students “no choice”. Students are often employed in hospitality and retail, working long hours in customer-facing jobs.

However, it is not just those who are employed who are struggling. Approximately 30% of students who took part in the survey say they are still actively searching for a job. Those students have stated:

“Employers are hesitant to take on students because of the varying availability and everyone goes home for the holiday”., “When I was first looking for a job, it was honestly impossible. Nobody wanted to hire a student who could only work weekends, this is so I could still have a social life and continue my studies without sacrifice.”

“It is very difficult to find a job around university commitments”.

Overall, 83% agree their university experience has been limited because of the current economic climate, forcing them to sacrifice studying or social activities, either to work or to save money. 

The Leeds University Union website recommends that no student works more than 20 hours a week during term-time. However, current financial pressures and the unlikelihood that government will rethink loan provision has made this a necessity for some.