How to maintain hygiene standards

Choosing what to eat is no doubt the most enjoyable part of having a meal. Selecting the ingredients, considering the flavours and picking the appropriate dish for the season and occasion are all pleasurable experiences.

However, there is more to consider when preparing food than the taste. Ensuring that the hygiene standards of the kitchen or area the food is being prepared in are up to scratch is a vital part of the cooking process.

When at home, this should be easy - you are in control of your own cooking environment - but when eating out ensuring food has been made in a clean kitchen is not always straight forward.

However, there are some steps diners can take to ensure they are eating food from clean kitchens. For a start, before eating somewhere read the local press and note how the establishment has been reviewed. Keeping an eye out in the local newspaper for food hygiene offences will also help diners stay away from unclean establishments.

Some may feel that by the time an establishment has been named and shamed in the local press it is too late - they may have been selling food from an unhygienic kitchen for months. Therefore, diners should always be vigilant for tell-tale danger signs. These include dirty public areas, i.e. unclean table clothes, crockery and glassware.

Furthermore, if the staff look dirty there is little chance they are going to be running a clean kitchen. Watch out for grimy finger nails, dirty aprons and long hair that has not been tied back.

If you spot a combination of these factors, and any others such as overflowing bins, dirty toilets or food on display that is past its use by date, then alert health inspectors to prevent other diners from suffering at the hands of grimy kitchens.

It is also useful to know the tell-tale signs of a clean eatery, such as staff hygiene training certificates clearly displayed on the walls, food safety instructions in preparation areas and self-service fridges that are properly cold.

What is more, food should be piping hot when it arrives and cold food should be properly chilled - if either of these things are compromised on then food poisoning becomes a serious and real risk.

Consumers should be vigilant about making sure restaurants, cafes and takeaways meet these standards. If a customer orders a hot meal and it arrives lukewarm or looking like it may pose a risk they are well within their rights to return their food.

It is not just a nice mealtime at stake] , it could also be their health.