Hygiene and food business

Posted: 10th July 2017

My name is Suzanne Welland, and I own a business called Roly Poly puddings. I am based in Staffordshire. When I first started in October 2014, I knew it was very important to register with the local council, so they are aware that you exist.

Having registered, I was then given a telephone interview with a member of the Environmental Health Department, who was perfectly satisfied with what I was doing. Fast forward to June 2017, and they wanted to come and inspect my operation. They visited on June 30th, and were very happy with what they saw, and gave me a 5 star rating, which is the highest you can achieve. By the way, the lady was delightful, not at all scary and very helpful.

It is difficult to achieve 5 Stars – here are my top tips:

  • Firstly, make sure everything is pristine clean. No broken tiles, flaking paint or rusty equipment.
  • Make sure you are doing exactly what you said you were when you first registered.
  • Different foodstuffs require different regulations.
  • Have written procedures for your cleaning schedule and your food production (they always like to see written evidence that you know what you are doing).
  • Paper towels are a must (cloths are not liked) always use handwash, have a sanitizer to clean surfaces, and make sure you have separate sinks for hand and equipment washing.
  • Don’t be put off by having to go through an inspection, and don’t let registering with the council put you off pursuing your dream.

I am delighted I decided to go ahead, and absolutely love making my steamed puddings, If you would like to know more, have a look at my Facebook page. I would love to suppply lots of WIRE members with their Christmas pudding this year!