Dead flies and dirty knife - Michelin-starred restaurant's hygiene failings revealed

Flies, broken equipment and a dirty knife are among a host of hygiene concerns raised by inspectors at Wales' only two-Michelin-star restaurant.

A full report, seen by BBC Wales following a Freedom of Information request, revealed Ynyshir Restaurant near Machynlleth, Ceredigion, was ordered to stop serving raw lobster, with "significant hazards" not properly identified.

A dirty floor and knife were also found at the restaurant, which charges nearly £500 per head for its 30-course tasting menu.

Ynyshir said it had faced "persistent challenges" with Ceredigion council's environmental health department, "primarily relating to documentation and a lack of understanding of our specialised procedures".

Chef Gareth Ward previously said he was not embarrassed when the Food Standards Agency gave the restaurant a one-out-of-five score.

But the council said it "stands by the professional judgement and findings of our staff in applying UK food hygiene standards".

The restaurant added it had, "in good faith repeatedly adapted our systems, significantly expanded our paperwork, and engaged external food safety specialists to develop bespoke... frameworks tailored specifically to our operation".

The inspection took place in October 2025, when a senior environmental health officer and a public protection officer visited the premises.

Management of food safety at Ynyshir was categorised as needing major improvement, as was cleanliness and condition of facilities, while "hygienic food handling" was rated "generally satisfactory".

A dirty floor, inadequate hand-washing facilities in some areas and broken equipment posing a potential contamination risk were also identified in the inspectors' report.

Referring to the presence of flies in an area known as "the smithy", they noted the insects posed "a significant food safety risk", as they could transfer harmful bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella onto food, equipment and surfaces.

A sticky strip used in the preparation room as a means of pest control "had an accumulation of dead flies".

Under a section headed "significant hazards not identified", the report stated lobster meat was being served raw and "microbiological hazards have not been fully identified and/or controlled".

Inspectors wrote: "You should cease serving raw lobster immediately or further enforcement action in line with the council's enforcement policy may be considered."

The report added there was "no documented procedure available for the storing of live lobster, in particular control measures in relation to the water treatment, water temperature, salinity, waste filtration".

Inspectors also wrote that, at the beginning of their visit, they asked to see the restaurant's current menu.

"This request was repeated several times during the inspection. The menu was eventually provided as a digital image at the end of the inspection following an additional request," they said.

"Providing misinformation to an officer conducting official controls, is an offence of obstruction."

The restaurant's menu typically comprises about 30 courses, served over several hours.

In their report, the inspectors identified multiple gaps in the restaurant's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) documentation and monitoring.

Ynyshir's Food Safety Management System and additional monitoring records, provided to inspectors by email on 22 October 2025, revealed issues including the recording of fish freezing temperatures and the "ageing" of duck and pigeon, as well as cuts of fish intended to be eaten raw.

The report also stated cooking temperature records showed the restaurant was "not achieving the critical limit of >75°C for 30 seconds" when preparing its sous vide cod dish - a precise technique for poaching the fish.

"You must review your food safety management system as a whole to ensure that it fully covers all practices undertaken," it concluded.

The restaurant maintains its approach is "intentionally non-conventional" and has "played a key role in placing Wales on the international culinary map".

It added the inspection "identified a small number of minor issues typical of a busy professional kitchen situated in the countryside of rural Wales" which had been "rectified immediately and in full".

It said biological testing, at "significant cost" to the restaurant, had "conclusively confirmed that our techniques are safe, compliant, and appropriate".

A restaurant spokesperson also claimed there were also factual inaccuracies in the findings, "for example, the report states that UV light referenced in our specialised HACCP documentation was not seen [when] a UV light was installed, operational, and in use within the aging chamber during the inspection".

"A Japanese knife was referred to as being dirty when actually the knife has just been sharpened and was seen part way through the cleaning process," they added.

Ynyshir said all action points had now been completed, with the team awaiting the council's next visit.

It said it was prepared to work constructively with the council but expected "an informed, consistent, and fair assessment process that recognises the realities of modern, non-conventional restaurants".

Ceredigion council said inspections were carried out in line with national standards set by the FSA and, between April and December 2025, 90% of inspected premises in Ceredigion achieved a food hygiene rating of between three and five out of five.