Michelin-Starred Restaurant Receives Damning One-Star Hygiene Rating
A prestigious two-Michelin-star restaurant in Wales has been handed a one-star food hygiene rating following a critical inspection that uncovered significant safety concerns. The report, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, reveals that Ynyshir Restaurant near Machynlleth was deemed to require "major improvement" in several key areas.
Inspectors Find Multiple Hygiene Failings
Council officials who visited the restaurant in October 2025 documented numerous violations. Ready-to-eat raw minced beef was stored next to uncovered raw meat products in a service fridge, creating a clear cross-contamination risk. Employees lacked access to wash basins in areas where raw foods were handled, including the dry aging room and lobster tanks.
A knife used in preparing beef for burgers was found to be "dirty," while flies were observed in an area referred to as the "smithy." A fly paper strip in the preparation room near the walk-in chiller showed "an accumulation of flies." The floor in the prep room was dirty, and inspectors noted the use of a large carpet rug during service times, which they warned could harbor bacteria and contaminants.
Restaurant's Specialized Methods Under Scrutiny
The restaurant, which offers a £468-per-person dining experience, has strongly contested the findings. Head chef Gareth Ward argued that inspectors failed to understand the use of raw ingredients like sashimi and dry-aged fish in fine dining cuisine. "We buy in the best ingredients from around the world and a lot of it I serve raw," Ward stated, emphasizing that sashimi-grade fish is consumed raw globally.
However, the inspection report highlighted specific concerns about raw lobster being served as part of the sashimi offering, classifying this as a "high-risk activity" and demanding its removal from the menu. Inspectors also found gaps in the restaurant's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point documentation, including inadequate recording of fish freezing temperatures and the aging processes for duck, pigeon, and fish intended for raw consumption.
Technical Violations and Enforcement Warnings
The report noted that the restaurant was "not achieving the critical limit of >75°C for 30 seconds" when preparing its sous vide cod dish. Additionally, foraging activities for birch tree sap and wild garlic had not been included in the food safety management system. Inspectors warned that providing misinformation during official controls constituted an obstruction offense, after receiving conflicting information about how thoroughly burgers were cooked.
Two different versions of the Food Safety Policy, both dated June 3, 2025, contained "significantly different" contents, further highlighting administrative shortcomings. The restaurant was instructed to comprehensively review its food safety management system to cover all practices undertaken.
Chef's Defense and Restaurant's Response
Gareth Ward, who has appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, defended his establishment's practices. "I'm not sat here thinking 'Oh my God, I'm embarrassed, I've done something wrong,' because we haven't. What we have done is something different," he asserted. Ward mentioned his use of a Saltan salt chamber for 300-day-old dry-aged Welsh wagyu beef, which he claimed inspectors scrutinized unnecessarily.
The restaurant acknowledged the inspection outcome "seriously" and stated that specialized cooking techniques influenced by Japanese methodologies differ from conventional kitchen operations. A spokesman confirmed that administrative and procedural actions had been "addressed in full" and that the restaurant was working cooperatively with Environmental Health for an early reinspection.
Background and Industry Recognition
Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms became Wales' first two-Michelin-star restaurant in 2022, having received its first star eight years earlier. It was named the best restaurant in the UK in both 2022 and 2023. Celebrity chef James Martin has praised Ward as "the greatest chef in the UK at the moment" and called his restaurant "the best place to eat in the world."
The restaurant offers a 30-course dinner experience lasting up to five hours, with overnight stays available at additional cost. Ward maintains that his kitchen operates at "the highest standard in the world" and that following the report, laboratory testing of the restaurant's fish returned "absolutely clear" results. He confirmed immediate improvements including installing an extra hand-washing sink in the fish preparation area and correcting paperwork deficiencies.
Ceredigion County Council stated that it stands by the professional judgment of its staff in applying UK food hygiene standards and declined to comment further on the matter.
