Brewery responds after Thornton's highly-rated Tavern at the Mill pub diner given a one star food hygiene rating

The Tavern At The Mill, which offers a carvery and a selection of ales and spirits, unveiled an extensive revamp in February, including the installation of a group of olive coloured huts fitted with flat screen TVs.

On Google the establishment, run by the Joseph Holt brewery, has an impressive 4.2 rating from ‎1,489 reviews.

However the Tavern, in the shadow of historic Marsh Mill on Fleetwood Road, was given a disappointingly low score of one star (out of five) following an assessment by Wyre Council for the Food Standards Agency on March 31.

Although the inspectors found that both ‘hygienic food handling’ and ‘management of food safety’ were “generally satisfactory”, they found issues with ‘cleanliness and condition of facilities and building’, rating it as “major improvement necessary”.

Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building includes having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene.

The refurbishment of the Tavern at the Mill also includes a new glass side extension to create an open-plan dining area flooded with natural light and overlooking the huts and gardens.

The newly renovated area, which incorporates a carvery, has increased the number of the seats in the pub restaurant to 38 with another extra 12 places in the bar and snug.

The results of the visit can be found on the FSA website.

A spokesperson for Joseph Holt said “We take food hygiene and customer safety very seriously and we have worked closely with the Food Standards Authority to implement robust measures to stop this from happening in the future.

"Following a review with the local authority and FSA, our hygiene rating was restored to level 4.

“We continue to work diligently with the team at Tavern at the Mill and the relevant food authorities to ensure we continue to provide the highest standards of food and quality to all of our customers.”

Figures from the Food Standards Agency show that of Wyre's 102 pubs, bars and nightclubs with ratings, 80 (78%) have ratings of five and none have zero ratings.