Imagine a restaurant so renowned it boasts two Michelin stars, yet it’s slapped with a one-star hygiene rating. Sounds like a contradiction, right? But that’s exactly what happened to Ynyshir, a celebrated Welsh restaurant nestled near Machynlleth on the edge of the Eryri national park. Hailed as one of the world’s finest dining destinations, Ynyshir opened its doors in 2013 and quickly ascended to culinary stardom, earning its first Michelin star in 2014 and a second in 2022—a first for Wales. With prices starting at £468 per person, it’s an experience reserved for the most discerning food enthusiasts.
But here’s where it gets controversial: despite its global acclaim, a recent inspection by the Food Standards Agency awarded Ynyshir just one star out of five, signaling a need for ‘major improvement.’ How can a restaurant with such prestige fall short on hygiene? Chef patron Gareth Ward, a former MasterChef: The Professionals contestant, isn’t sweating it. He told the BBC he’s ‘not embarrassed’ by the rating, attributing it to inspectors’ concerns over his use of raw and aged ingredients—a hallmark of his innovative cuisine.
‘I’m sourcing sashimi-grade fish from Japan,’ Ward explained, ‘but inspectors questioned its safety because they’re unfamiliar with the water standards.’ He added, ‘This fish is consumed raw worldwide, yet their rules don’t align with ours.’ Ward also highlighted his state-of-the-art salt chamber for aging fish, a technique inspectors seemed to disapprove of. ‘We’re doing something different,’ he asserted, ‘and I’m not ashamed of that.’
And this is the part most people miss: Ynyshir isn’t cutting corners on safety. The restaurant employs a specialist compliance company, boasts a £50,000 freezer capable of reaching -80°C, and even sent its fish for independent lab testing post-inspection—which came back clean. Ward admitted the inspectors ‘weren’t 100% wrong,’ though, and has since installed an additional hand-washing station in the fish prep area. He also acknowledged paperwork errors, noting, ‘Sometimes you miss things or write them down incorrectly. To be perfect, I’d need a full-time office worker dedicated to paperwork.’
In Wales and Northern Ireland, food establishments are legally required to display their hygiene ratings prominently. Ynyshir has requested a reinspection, but a date hasn’t been set. So, here’s the question: Should a restaurant’s hygiene rating be judged by the same standards when it’s pushing culinary boundaries? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—is Ynyshir a victim of outdated regulations, or does it need to step up its game? The debate is on!
