Local Enderby restaurant, the Grove Farm, which closed before Christmas cancelling all bookings over the festive period has just re-opened.

Local media reports that the establishment says it has re-opened after “intensive cleaning” and a variety of tests including a “negative result” for salmonella.

Amy Robertson, manager of the Greene King pub is reported as telling the Leicester Mercury:

“We are pleased to say that after extensive testing Grove Farm has now fully reopened and all test results have been found to be negative for salmonella.

“The safety of our customers is our top priority.

“Over the past couple of weeks, working with Environmental Health and Public Health England, all areas of the pub, including our kitchen, have been intensively cleaned and sanitised.

“We would like to stress that at no point were our food safety and kitchen hygiene standards called into question and extensive testing proved our food is safe. All of our food handlers – from kitchen porters to chefs – must be qualified to the level two Food Hygiene Certificate before being allowed to work in our kitchens and we are proud of our extremely strict hygiene regime.”

Ms Robertson told the newspaper that with the “full backing of Environmental Health, as well as one of the country’s leading experts in food safety and hygiene”, the venue was “able to reassure customers they can once again eat with confidence with us”.

The pub, in Barton Close, Enderby, was voluntarily shut by its owners Greene King in the middle of December while an investigation was carried out by Public Health England.

The health watchdog said it became aware of a potential problem at the venue in April, after several people went to their GPs with stomach bugs and were found to have salmonella poisoning.

Public Health England said some of those affected were diners at Grove Farm, but was unable to confirm how many.

A spokesman for Grove Farm said the restaurant was given a deep clean in the summer, but the disease resurfaced recently, with more people falling ill.

Ms Robertson said:

“We would like to sincerely apologise to any customers whose plans were disrupted by this unexpected closure and hope we can now welcome them back to the pub.”

A spokesman for Blaby District Council, whose environmental health officers carried out the tests at Grove Farm, said:

“We are happy for them to reopen at this stage.

“Environmental swabs came back as satisfactory.

“They’re reopening with our support.”

Source: Leicester Mercury

Photo: Enderby EYE

Original EYE news item: http://wp.me/p32ECU-2dj