‘Gordon will be furious’ – reaction as Gino D’Acampo restaurant gets one star hygiene rating

People have cheekily suggested “Gordon Ramsay would be furious” after celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant in Liverpool was slapped down for its dirty kitchen and week-old food.

It was revealed last week how Gino D’Acampo’s second venture in the city had been hit with a one out of five hygiene rating after an inspection by Liverpool Council’s environmental health officials in January. Information made available online by the Food Standards Agency said major improvements were needed at the venue at the INNSiDE Liverpool hotel on Old Hall Street.

The findings of the local authority’s health inspectors have been revealed through a Freedom of Information request. Officers found that a number of foods were still in a walk-in fridge with expired manufacturers use-by dates.

Napoli-style sausage was found to be a week out of date while 18 tortelloni pumpkins had a use by-date ranging from January 3-15. The standard of cleaning in the main service kitchen “remains poor” the inspection found, despite some of the equipment being on wheels.

Food debris and grease was also noted on site. People have now been having their say on the findings online.

One person commented: “When it comes to old meat, you might expect it in a can of Spam or a vintage jerky, not on the menu at Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant.”

Another said Gino and his restaurant may be in trouble with his Scottish culinary counterpart. They wrote: “His mate Gordon would be furious.”

Writing about the confidence in management and controls of the business, inspectors said it wasn’t the first time the restaurant had fallen foul. They said: “You are not following your food safety management procedure.

“Some of the issues identified are repeated issues of non-compliance noted at the previous inspection on 06/09/22.” One commenter was disappointed by this, writing: “It’s the fact they were told once and didn’t bother to clean up their act.”

The offending food was voluntarily disposed of according to the report, with time frames set by the local authority to rectify issues. Mr D’Acampo’s first venture opened its doors in the former HSBC bank building on Castle Street almost six years ago and was replaced by the 200-cover Riva Blu.

A spokesperson for Gino D’Acampo Hotels and Leisure said: “We’re extremely disappointed with this rating and have taken immediate action to address the points raised. Our expert consultants have since conducted a robust audit and were satisfied that corrective measures have been met.

“A re-inspection has already been invited and we are confident of seeing a return to higher scores in line with our sibling restaurants.”