Eric Clapton's boutique hotel, Burythorpe Country House Hotel in North Yorkshire, has been handed a one-star food hygiene rating, meaning 'major improvement' is required. The Food Standards Agency flagged 'improvement necessary' for hygienic food handling and said the hotel's management of food safety needed 'major improvement'.
Inspection findings and response
The 81-year-old musician bought the 14-bedroom, four-star bed and breakfast near Malton in 2013 and had it extensively refurbished. Inspectors visited on July 7 and found issues despite the venue earning 4.7 stars on Google and rave online reviews.
General manager Alison Gaskell blamed the age of the building for the rating. She said: "As a dedicated and diligent manager, I was, of course, initially very upset after the initial inspection.
"Unfortunate, we could not get the required tradesmen that we needed for such a large area times passed and I admittedly let too much time slip."
Work completed and next steps
Gaskell confirmed all required kitchen work has now been finished, including a brand-new floor, and noted the cupboards mentioned were replaced last year. She added the team feels "extremely positive now all outstanding work has been completed and are very much looking forward to our re-inspection and hopefully restoring our previous rating of four, or even better, the maximum score of 5."
Clapton bought the wedding venue over a decade ago, though corporate filings show he resigned as a director of the operating company in mid-2014. The hotel continues to operate and remains associated with him in public and visitor lore.
