Personal cleanliness

Thanks Anya it always looks as if they have been trained which is perhaps why we notice on the odd occasion when things are not done properly. I have only ever had excellent service in NT cafes.

In the UK, food handlers don't have to hold a food hygiene certificate to prepare or sell food, although many food businesses will prefer that they do. The necessary skills may be obtained through on-the-job training, self-study or relevant prior experience.

UK food hygiene certificates don't have an expiry date. It is left to the discretion of the food business operator or environmental health officer to decide whether a refresher course is needed. This may be a result of changes to legislation or technological developments in food hygiene.

- See more at: www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/food-hygiene/training#sthash.auUFFC5O.dpuf

I thought it was a legal requirement to have the proper training before working in a restaurant touching food.

Lately I was in the NL equivalent of Waitrose and watched a man filling a basket with bread roles and noticed he was not wearing gloves. I think he would have been in the UK

Last week we went to a new coffee shop/bakery and it was clear that the staff were being trained. One of them had a cake box in one hand and a closed one in her teeth. The boss looked very annoyed when he took it from her and put in the bin. I think it was thoughtlessness and she will learn.

jingl

I hate it when the waiter/waitress takes the mug or glass they are holding by the rim before placing it on the table - yuk. This happens a lot and mostly by the younger generation. Trouble is, they are not trained properly in 'elf 'n safety.

Why the need to speak of the dropped knife loudly , did you hope for applause .indiana? You seem pleased you embarrassed a young boy, would not a quiet word have achieved the same result , not nice thing to do

Yes!

if he had made the pastry his hands would have been beautifully clean. Remember the grey pastry and clean hands when we were children!

Wasn't as bad as the young lad on a Sainsburys' checkout, busily screwing his finger up his nose before handling my shopping. Now that I did complain about.

At least she washed them Teetime, however perfunctorily

So long as he hadn't made the pastry, I don't think I would have worried too much. Perhaps they roped him in from the garden because of a rush in the cafe?

This all sounds horrible. I was in Wetherspoons last night and one of the waitresses was in the loo at the same time as me - she washed her hands but only in the most perfunctory manner- I don't think she knows she has a thumb, webs and the backs of her hands.

My pet hate is being served in a supermarket or food establishment by someone chewing gum - Horrible!

I should have complained officially the time I visited a NT restaurant and the young boy serving the person in front of us dropped a cake knife on the floor. He picked it up and was about to carry on using it, when I said quite loudly, "Are you seriously going to use that knife without washing it first?" He looked embarrassed, and went to get a clean one. I was so shocked that he could even think of using the knife in front of a queue of customers who had all clearly seen him drop it!

It's always worth complaining. I would feel just the same, I can't abide dirty finger nails. When you work in a food establishment you should be scrupulously clean.

You never know, nk, whoever's in charge of the cafe might well get stricter about fingernail cleanliness because of your note. That's how change and improvements happen. #lookonthebrightside