Why popular Northampton dessert shop was given one-star hygiene rating – damning report revealed

Kaspa’s Desserts, in the Drapery, was given a food hygiene rating of just one out of five following an inspection by West Northamptonshire Council on April 16.

The inspection followed a customer complaint about being sold a mouldy Ferrero Rocher ice cream.

Documents of that visit have been were released by West Northamptonshire Council after this newspaper submitted a Freedom of Information request.

In a damning letter to the company, dated April 22, a senior environmental health officer highlighted a series of serious failings, including equipment that had apparently been broken for years.

The officer wrote: "Non-working items of equipment, including large commercial refrigerators (which were there in the same condition at my previous inspection two years or so ago)".

The letter also revealed that broken chilled display equipment was still being used to display food.

The officer said: "Your manager said the food was not for sale, but the presumption is that food in the premises is for public consumption."

Perhaps most seriously, the officer warned the business could struggle to defend itself over the mouldy ice cream complaint.

The letter said: "There were other non-working items such as the ice cream display and dishwasher. It means that was formal action to follow over the customer complaint of mouldy food being sold (a Rocher ice cream) the business would struggle to prove due diligence."

The officer also raised concerns about staff records, accusing the business of recording cleaning tasks as completed when they had not been carried out.

The letter says: "During the inspection, several records were ticked to indicate tasks had been completed when it was evident that they had not. This represents a serious management failing."

Records from around the time of the mouldy ice cream complaint also showed a chiller operating above the required temperature.

The officer wrote: "For the period around the sale of the mouldy ice-cream your records show (I photographed the records for that period) that the chiller was operating outside the required temperature (9℃ I believe) staff need to know what to do in these situations."

The business was also criticised over its failure to act on repeated warnings from its own pest control contractor.

The environmental health officer reviewed six separate pest control reports and found that recommendations to improve cleaning and housekeeping had not been followed.

The letter states: "These recommendations have not been acted upon, despite you paying for this professional advice."

The officer warned: "Failure to follow pest control recommendations significantly increases the risk of infestation and is unacceptable."

Other problems included mould growth and food debris around freezer seals, accumulated grease and debris behind waffle irons, rubbish piling up in the rear store and alleyway, flaking paint, broken floor tiles and damaged walls.

The cellar was also found to have obstructed access, with ladders, debris and other items creating potential risks to staff.

The officer warned that the findings could damage the business's reputation, writing: "In my opinion the Kaspa’s brand could be prejudiced by events such as the complaint and the inspection findings."

The letter described the conditions as falling significantly below the standards required by food hygiene legislation.

It said: "The matters detailed below require immediate and sustained corrective action."

Kaspa’s was given six weeks to complete the required work, with a further inspection planned to check compliance.

Its one-star rating means major improvement is necessary. The council's scoring showed confidence in management was the poorest-scoring area.

Kaspa’s has been contacted for comment.

The store has a four out of five star rating from 1,000 Google reviews.