Eating by numbers

PEOPLE can choose to eat out and shop for food in the borough’s cleanest venues, thanks to a new scheme to reveal the best.

Oldham Council yesterday scrapped its own “Scores on the Doors” scheme and switched to the national food hygiene rating scheme to make things simpler for the public.

It means Oldham is now using the same scheme, developed by the Food Standards Agency in partnership with local authorities, as the rest of the nation.

Food outlets, such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs, are regularly inspected by council food safety officers to check that hygiene standards required by law are being met.

And they are handed one of six ratings, ranging from 0, which calls for urgent improvements, to 5, which is “very good.”

Top rated town centre restaurant, the Salt Cellar, was chosen to launch the scheme yesterday.

Restaurant manager Mike Bartrop, said he was pleased the Salt Cellar and its Youth Cafe had retained the top rating, but was disappointed it was now regarded as “very good” as opposed to “excellent” under the council’s own scheme.

He applauded the scheme overall, saying: “It is good for the business and good for the community as well.

“It means people can chose to eat at places, like ours, which have the top food hygiene standards.”