Soho Farmhouse denounced over food hygiene ratings
Health officials have condemned the poor food hygiene standards at an exclusive country hotel where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently stayed, and which has been described as a "Center Parcs for the posh set."
Soho Farmhouse, a boutique hotel and private members' club in the Oxfordshire countryside, was criticised for storing chicken and macaroni cheese at unsafe temperatures, preparing raw food next to ready-to-eat areas and keeping burger buns next to cleaning products.
On top of that, the hotel has been ordered by inspectors from West Oxfordshire District Council to carry out a thorough clean of kitchen drainage gulleys and install proper hand-drying facilities for chefs in the Barwell Barn restaurant.
Despite these transgressions, the hotel has been granted a Food Hygiene Rating of three out of five by the council's environmental health officers, who conducted the routine inspection in January.
“There were a couple of issues noted at our inspection earlier in the year, when we were awarded a satisfactory rating," says Nick Caton, Director of Soho Farmhouse.
"We’re confident that everything has been addressed and look forward to our next inspection in the near future.”
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The hotel has also recently come under fire from locals recently for plans to build posh 'pigsty' rooms in the grounds. Residents in the surrounding Cotswolds countryside objected to the unsympathetic corrugated iron structures, as well as the increase in traffic on ill-equipped roads.
Since opening in 2015, Soho Farmhouse has hosted numerous high-profile figures including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who visited the property last October.
The hotel provides boutique accommodation in Nantucket cabin-style accommodation throughout the week, but is members-only over the weekend (membership costs £1,400 a year). Facilities include the Cowshed spa, indoor and outdoor pools, a boating lake, tennis courts, a cinema and a cookery school.
Soho House Group, which is run by founder Nick Jones, now operates close to 20 hotels worldwide and boasts more than 66,000 members.
