Anyone got experience of getting a home kitchen improved by environmental health?

lbr102

Having been unemployed for a few months now and bored of having no money despite all the jobs I've applied for, I've decided to try and turn a hobby into a bit of money. I make chutneys at home. They have gone down well with friends and family.

I've done the costing, looked into places to sell them and started designing a label. The only thing left is the registration of my kitchen. I sent off the form already and now environmental health are coming to take a look at my kitchen on Friday.

I'm very nervous! I rent so big changes to my kitchen will be difficult. I have looked online and at the booklet the council originally sent me and the advise is, to be honest, vague. It seems that what each individual council is looking for varies and my local council doesn't seem to be able to tell me what they want without coming round.

sorry....I'm rambling! I just really wanted to ask on here if anyone else had gone through the same process of registering their kitchen. What did you to prepare? What did the council ask/want to see when they came round? How long did they stay for?

I've made a list of things I'm going to do tomorrow and Thursday. This includes finding a new home for cleaning products so they aren't in the kitchen, packing away all the things they may consider to be clutter (e.g. slow cooker, coffee machine) and giving the whole place an intensive clean.

I'm just hoping that some lovely people on here who have either been through it themselves or have some ideas, could give me some other tips. I would be really greatful!

The council lady is coming at 3pm on Friday.

Thanks all.

lbr102

err...whoops! Clearly I meant approved not improved! Silly me.

DFWJane

I too have them coming round soon so I can provide food as part of setting up as a childminder.

It's giving me a kick up the behind to clean my oven!

I would phone them and ask them exactly what they want to see and explain your limitations with being rented. After all, neither party wants a wasted visit and they are there to help.

wilf55

hi
they tend to look at procedures rather than if you cleaned down the side of the cooker
its things like and i am not sure what will apply directly but

fridge temps and how you monitor and record them
cooker temps
cooling if applicable
how easy it is to keep your work surfaces etc clean ie no loose tiles etc which could harbour dirt and be hard to clean
deliveries - where will you keep them, refridgeration etc
its how you maintain the cleanliness etc that interests them
how you keep things appropriately - temps containers away from vermin etc
its about your record keeping of cleaning temps etc

they are not ogres - and will advise?
good luck

lindens

They are not to be afraid of and will give good advice. I made sure they could see i had anti-bac soap out . you usually need 2 basins, one for utensils and one for washing hands. often if you have one in utility room and kitchen this will suffice, dont have to be same room.

downhillfast

I don't know anything specific for a home kitchen, but a couple of pointers based on the fact I ran a pub with a food provision...

• like you said in you OP, chemicals are a no no a would have thought
• Show willing by having at least colour-coded knives and chopping boards. Wooden chopping boards are a definite no no.
• Clear clutter from sides to show that they can be easily thoroughly cleaned and wiped down without leaving debris.
• buy industrial cleaning products... I don't mean get the strongest you can... I mean get indusrty recognised ones. Maybe you could ask your local pub/restuarant to get you some from their supplier (Bookers Cash&Carry etc) You should have a de-greaser and sanitiser as a minimum.
• Show differentiation between your potwash area and how you will clean your hands - frowned upon to use the same sink... but if you only have one sink (which I'd imagine you do) then get a hand sanitizer dispenser for on the wall - this should be a lot more than acceptable.
• make sure the floor is spotless - clean behind EVERYTHING
• If you're gonna be mopping the floor (I really hope you don't have carpet cos that may pose a whole new problem!) have a think about where the waste water will be tipped... they may ask if you intend to use the potwash sink or if you have a drain it could go down.

can't think of much more... like I said these are just educated guesses really! Good luck :beer:

lbr102

Thanks for the tips! Sadly they haven't been too helpful to date on the phone so I'm hoping that now I have someone coming to see me this should be a bit better.

I hadn't even considered temperature so thanks for mentioning. My intentions are to buy fresh vegetables on the day I make the product but guess that may not always be easy so I should at least buy a thermometer to check and record the temperatures I think!

I'm concerned that the sink will be a problem. I only have the one in the kitchen. I have another one in the bathroom which could be for hand washing but that is all the way upstairs.

Jane: Good luck with your inspection! I shall be cleaning my oven out tomorrow as well. A job I really hate to do!

lbr102

Downhillfast - Thanks for the tip on the hand sanitizer. That's a great way around it that I hadn't thought of!

No carpet luckily! I tend to poor the water down a drain outside which has always been OK for home use...however not sure if this would suffice in these circumstances.

downhillfast

wilf55 wrote: »

fridge temps and how you monitor and record them

Yeah this might be a biggie... especially as you will probably be sharing fridge facilites with the "home" side of things? If so you need to do some moving round if, like with most fridges, the veg drawer is at the bottom... do a search on what should go where in a fridge for professional kitchens... generally speaking working from the bottom upwards... raw meat...raw fish...cooked meat...dairy...fresh veg and salad - don't quote me directly on this though as it was quite a while ago that I had to think about it!

Also have a check on the internet about dangerous temperatures for food and cooling p[rocedures as mentioned before.

If you've done a Health & Hygiene certificate then you probably already know this... if not then might be worth considering doing it - can only look favourably on your professionalism

Moominmamma

Hi,

Don't know if you've already seen it but if you do a search on the "Baking for Cash" thread there's loads there about EH inspections... Frankly though it all seems a bit random depending on where you are.

Good luck on Friday

lbr102

Thanks for the tips!

I'm planning on doing the H&S certificate as soon as I have a bit more cash. Sooner if I can't get going without it!

I have had a look on the baking for cash thread. It was quite long and I got up to about page 12. I'll try and have another read through it all today to get some more info. I have got the impression so far that it is a bit random depending on where you live (like you said Moominmamma). I think that's why it is so difficult to get information. If my council had been more helpful by telephone then at least I would know if I'm going down the right road!

Re: hand sanitizer - are there specific ones you can use before handling food? I had a look in town today but they didn't say anything. I've got some brand names down so will google!