One of Derbyshire’s best golf clubs has released a statement after being handed a shock 0-star food hygiene rating for its catering. It comes after North East Derbyshire District Council’s environmental health inspectors paid a visit to Chesterfield Golf Club’s catering facilities in August, where it assessed the standards upheld by the business.
It reviewed three primary areas: hygienic food handling, the cleanliness and condition of facilities of the building and the management of food safety. In regards to food handling and the condition of the facilities, the golf club was told “major improvement” was necessary.
However, in its management of food safety, the club was told the “urgent improvement” was necessary. According to the Food Standards Agency, management of food safety looks at the “system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat,” and also looks at “evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.”
Chesterfield Golf Club is a popular course in Derbyshire, ranked third-best in the county by the website Top 100 Golf Courses. Food and drinks are served at the Clubhouse as well as the Halfway House, which is adjacent to the ninth green and tenth tee.
In the summer months, non-members are charged up to £70 for green fees, which drop to as low as £35 during non-peak times in the cooler months.
There is currently a waiting list to join the golf club, although the price of membership is only available upon request. According to the Top 100 Golf Courses, the club was formed in 1897 and moved to its current site in 1906.
What does Chesterfield Golf Club have to say?
The golf club has labelled the recent low score as a “huge disappointment” and “concern.” A spokesperson for the club said: “Providing a safe environment for our members and visitors is always our number one priority, so to fall from a five-star to a zero was a huge disappointment and concern.
“We have taken immediate action to deliver improvements. The timing of the visit coincided with key staff being away from the business. Unfortunately, regular procedure was not followed in their absence and this led to elements of operation being overlooked.
“Systems are now in place to ensure that there is no repeat of this and all staff are being trained. We have since invested heavily to refresh out kitchen and food preparation area and have reviewed and updated our arrangements to ensure the desired standards of cleanliness.”
The statement added: “We are committed to returning to the highest standards and delivering a five-star rating as soon as possible.”
