'I run a spotless kitchen', says Michelin-star restaurant chef in wake of food hygiene debacle

The chef at Wales' only two-Michelin-star restaurant has defended the way he operates his kitchen after the venue came under scrutiny over food hygiene standards.

While chasing a third Michelin star, Ynyshir was handed a one-star hygiene rating in February and told to improve due to concerns about raw and undercooked foods.

The news made global headlines and was a blow to Ward and his team, but in Apple TV's documentary series Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, Ward said Ynyshir was "an incredible place".

"There's nothing in there that's amateurish," he told the programme. "I run a spotless kitchen."

Ward, who co-owns the restaurant near Machynlleth in mid Wales, added the hygiene rating had hurt, "because we are only trying to be the best".

"Whether you're a cafe, or a pub, or a two-Michelin-star restaurant. We've all got the same rules," he told the eight-part second series of the show, which follows elite chefs and their teams.

"But we go above and beyond everything to make what we do safe."

Ynyshir was previously ordered to stop serving raw lobster after Ceredigion council found "significant hazards" were not properly identified.

The restaurant received its first Michelin star in 2014 and its second in 2022, becoming the first and only restaurant in Wales to hold two.

It missed out on a third star at the ceremony this year.

The 16-seat restaurant serves Japanese-inspired raw dishes as part of its nearly £500 a head 30-course tasting menu, and accused inspectors of not understanding its specialised procedures.

By August, the council had reinstated its five-star hygiene rating after it found the "business had addressed all matters identified during the original inspection".

But, for Ynyshir, the scrutiny was a major setback, and Ward shared his frustration in the documentary.

"I'm very proud of my whole team and my business, and what we've achieved," he said.

"It's obviously massive in the media, which anyone instantly jumps on and thinks it's about cleanliness," he said. "I run a spotless kitchen.

"When something like this happens you're a bit blown away."

Ward said the restaurant served a lot of raw food and did a lot of things "that aren't normal".

"We have done some things wrong, but we don't deserve everything [we were accused of]," he said.

"It's just, we dare to be different."

He said the inspection left him feeling the weight of responsibility, with more than 30 members of staff and the business potentially at risk.

Management of food safety at Ynyshir was categorised by inspectors as needing major improvement, as was cleanliness and condition of facilities, while "hygienic food handling" was rated "generally satisfactory".

A dirty floor, inadequate hand-washing facilities in some areas and broken equipment posing a potential contamination risk were also identified in the inspectors' report.

Ynyshir responded at the time, saying the inspection "identified a small number of minor issues typical of a busy professional kitchen situated in the countryside of rural Wales" which had been "rectified immediately and in full".

It said biological testing, at "significant cost" to the restaurant, had "conclusively confirmed that our techniques are safe, compliant and appropriate".

It said at the time it was prepared to work constructively with the council but expected "an informed, consistent and fair assessment process that recognises the realities of modern, non-conventional restaurants".

When Ynyshir was reinspected, Ceredigion council said the "business had addressed all matters identified during the original inspection".