A celebrated chef has publicly defended his award-winning Welsh restaurant after it received a one-out-of-five food hygiene rating from official inspectors.
A Clash of Culinary Standards
Gareth Ward, the chef-patron of the two-Michelin-star Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms in Ceredigion, stated he is "not embarrassed" by the assessment. The inspection, carried out by officers from Ceredigion County Council in November 2025, concluded that the management of food safety at the venue, which charges nearly £500 per person for dinner, required "major improvement". The cleanliness and condition of the facilities were also marked as needing improvement, though hygienic food handling was deemed "generally satisfactory".
Raw Ingredients and Ageing Techniques Questioned
In an interview with the BBC, Ward argued that the low score resulted from a fundamental disagreement over techniques, not a failure in standards. He explained that inspectors raised concerns over the restaurant's extensive use of raw and aged ingredients, core to its innovative tasting menu.
"We buy in the best ingredients from around the world, and a lot of it I serve raw," Ward said. He cited the example of sashimi-grade fish sourced from Japan, which he said was questioned because the inspectors "don't know the water". The chef also mentioned his use of a salt chamber for ageing fish, a practice he claimed the officials "obviously don't like".
Ward emphasised his confidence in the restaurant's operations, telling the broadcaster, "My standards never drop below 100 per cent." He framed the issue as a consequence of pioneering work, saying, "The people in life that push the hardest and think outside the box and do something different will always have to deal with this kind of stuff."
Official Stance and Required Improvements
In response to the situation, Ceredigion County Council stated it stands by the "professional judgement" of its staff in applying UK food hygiene standards and declined to comment further. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidelines state that establishments receiving a low rating must make urgent or major improvements to their hygiene standards.
Despite the critical hygiene report, the restaurant's elite culinary status remains unchallenged. The Michelin Guide continues to describe Ynyshir as offering a "truly unique experience". Ward concluded by expressing disappointment rather than shame, insisting, "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."
