A restaurant’s owner said he feels “fantastic” after his business significantly improved its hygiene rating.

Shemul in Main Avenue, Moor Park, was awarded a 5/5 after its latest inspection on April 18.

In October last year, inspectors told the Indian restaurant that “major improvement was necessary” and gave it a 1/5.

Mohib Choudhury, the owner, told the Watford Observer this week: “We can only apologise for our mistakes, but we have now rectified the situation.

“We failed previously because some of our employees weren’t doing their job properly.

“We had to let them go, they weren’t doing their due diligence.”

After the October inspection, Mr Choudhury said the business hired an independent clerk and worked closely with the health inspector to help the restaurant make changes.

Watford Observer: Shemul restaurant is near Moor Park stationShemul restaurant is near Moor Park station (Image: Google Street View)

He said: “We restructured the kitchen to prevent cross contamination to make it easier for employees to get to everything. We have also rectified the problem with our paperwork.”

Cross contamination was outlined as a possibility last year because the restaurant stored raw meat above ready to eat foods, such as salads, in the fridge.

All staff now must have had level two training in food hygiene, or be going through the course while working there, which was one of the suggestions the inspector made in their report.   

During the October inspection, “mouldy courgettes” were found in the fridge among a raft of issues.

The inspector reported that throughout the two-hour inspection they did not “witness any staff member voluntarily wash their hands with soap”.

Food poisoning bacteria were at an increased risk of developing because cooked chicken and other high-risk foods were being kept at room temperature in the cooking area when they must be kept at or below 8C, the report read.

Cooked rice, which should be held at or above 63C, was being kept in the oven below this temperature.