A former pub owner who cooked moldy meat pies and left food out of the fridge in a filthy kitchen has been handed a hefty court bill exceeding £3,000. Punters at the Lichfield pub faced a ‘high risk of harm’ when former boss Richard Maley was in charge of the George and Dragon.

Food ‘unfit for human consumption’ was cooked in the pub’s kitchen, with dishes exposed to contamination and left mouldy. Small cooked meat pies left on a dirty shop floor at the “very dirty” site.

Uncovered chunks of meat – which should have been stored in the refrigerator – were left next to tools and paint, as well as under a filthy air conditioner. Bins of food were also dumped next to a bottle of odor neutralizer, while uncovered pie filling was stored next to a DIY waste box on dirty stairs.

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Food inspectors also discovered peeling paint and mold growing in a warehouse, while there were used kitchen equipment stained with food debris, StaffordshireLive reports. Maley, 50, has admitted four charges of failing to comply with food safety and hygiene regulations in relation to the pub in Alrewas, Lichfield.

The former pub boss, from Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan, was a director of Double R Pub Co Ltd – the pub company that ran the Main Street pub and restaurant at the time. He was taken to court by Lichfield District Council.

The offenses took place in 2016 and the case has only just been brought to court due to delays. Maley is no longer associated with the restaurant, which now has a five-star hygiene rating and has been hailed as “well run” by council bosses.

The defendant was due to attend the North Staffordshire Justice Center in 2017 but failed to show up. He admitted to having been accused of putting dangerous foods on the market, either because they were “injurious to health” or unfit for human consumption.

The advice referred to a cooked apple containing a non-food wood chisel and a homemade cooked meat pie exposed to contamination and showing significant mold growth on the surface. Small cooked meat pies were exposed to contamination and showed significant mold growth on the surface.

A container of cooked tomatoes was exposed to contamination, showing significant mold growth on the surface, the court heard. In a second accusation, Maley admitted to failing to ensure that raw materials and ingredients were stored in appropriate conditions to prevent harmful spoilage and protect them from contamination.

In particular, there was an uncovered pork roast stored unrefrigerated on a tray stored next to tools and paint. There were also bins of food – including half-cooked bacon, half-cooked sausages and cooked tomatoes – stored unrefrigerated and next to a bottle labeled “cleanPro+”, which is an odor neutralizer. .

There was a partially covered piece of cooked pork stored unrefrigerated under a filthy air conditioner. There were also small cooked pies, a packet of peas and a serving of fisherman’s pie stored unrefrigerated on a filthy floor in the storeroom, the court heard.

Two uncovered homemade cooked meat pies were found, along with an uncovered pot of cooked chicken, a ham and leek filling, a covered pot of sauce and a covered pot of stored diced sausages and bacon unrefrigerated next to a box of DIY scraps on dirty floors. stairs.

These were next to an open back door leading to the beer garden. Maley also pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the premises were clean, well maintained and in good repair.

The storeroom floor had an accumulation of dirt and food debris and the plastered walls of the storeroom were damaged in places, with peeling paint, mold and food debris on them.

Hand contact areas, including power sockets and door surfaces, were very dirty, counsel told the court. The kitchen walls behind the cooker were heavily soiled with grease and food debris – and the kitchen floor was soiled with grease and food debris, he said.

Another accusation Maley admitted was failing to ensure that all items, fixtures and equipment that food comes into contact with were effectively cleaned and sanitized. In particular, the stainless steel gram fridge in the storeroom was not working and the shelves and base inside were rusty and very dirty with grease and food debris.

A freezer needed defrosting and was soiled with dirt and food debris. A disused chest freezer on which a container of cooked apples was stored was soiled with non-food debris and the wire shelves in the first warehouse were soiled with dirt, the council said.

There were used pots and utensils in the pantry stained with food debris and some were moldy. There were dishes used to bake pies stored in the first warehouse on wire shelves stained with food debris, the hearing was told.

Two microwaves in the kitchen were soiled with food debris and the inside of the oven in the kitchen was soiled with food debris. The towel dispensers in the kitchen were stained with grease and dirt.

Maley was fined £1,280 and ordered to pay £1,800 in court costs and a victim fine surcharge of £32. Councilor Angela Lax, cabinet member of Lichfield District Council for Regulation, Housing and Health, said: “We take this type of breach very seriously.

“Food business operators who fail to meet safety and hygiene standards must be held accountable. The case against Mr Maley should have been heard in 2017, but the defendant did not attend the hearing .

“His food safety breaches posed a high risk of harm to the public and, although Mr Maley is no longer associated with the premises, we were determined to follow through on the enforcement. The current food business operator on the premises, which has been in place since 2018, has a food hygiene rating of five – very good.

“We are pleased that the premises have been well managed since our intervention.”

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