Personal cleanliness

Perfectly true, Jingles! At least, those of us who are still around to argue survived

I really can't get het up about the dirty finger nails - I am a keen gardener, and often have filthy nails after a session on the allotment. If my frantic scrubbing with a nail brush doesn't shift all the much afterwards, I really doubt that briefly touching something like a cup with my hands is going to result in the remaining muck contaminating it.

But bakers in the "olden days" (ie when I was little) always took your money and grabbed the unwrapped loaf or the buns with bare hands. They never had tongs or gloves. We survived.

Spangles, I'd be a lot more worried about that than the OP! The way I see it, dirt under finger nails (which presumably has withstood normal washing) isn't suddenly going to jump out and infect someone via a cup, while touching cooked products with dirty gloves, latex or otherwise, is another matter!

What I can never understand is the way staff in Gregg's handle money and then touch unwrapped products such as loaves of bread. When I (politely) challenged this once,the response was 'oh its OK because I'm wearing latex gloves'. Sorry?! Did i miss something there?

rose that farm and cafe that you mention, is a dog called Badger involved?

Yes, I think so, although I haven't met Badger
And we like the food (haven't peeked into the kitchen )

Jingl, they rate works canteens too, which I was surprised about. DP reckons his is dire, but it still has 5 stars.

rose that farm and cafe that you mention, is a dog called Badger involved? If so, I'm not too far away.

OOh nonnie

What did happen at guide camp? Go on, do tell. Were you camping with Boy Scouts, is that what it was?

I think any one who has worked in a kitchen will take the ratings with a pinch of salt. When I was working for Sainsbury's the EHO came round and complimented me on the records we kept in the cafe. He assured me that we were doing far more than was required - which would have been true if you could rely on what was written there! Sheer shortage of staff meant that the attitude was "That'll do" and, combined with a chef who had never worked anywhere where he'd had to check temperatures, I'm surprised we never killed anyone.

They stole the recipe from the Australians!
(Or was it the other way round?)

Or was it the unleavened bread of the Bible?

www.woodland-ways.co.uk/blog/flora/theres-more-to-damper-bread-than-youd-think/

I'm not going to make any (not until 5th November anyway)

end of stick. Not nob!

Scouts make dampers. Just flour made into dough with water. Take little blobs of it and stick on nod of stick. Burn cook over campfire. Delish actually.

Oh dear I think I must be in a minority of one on this.

not sure, we do need to build up our immune system so it depends how bad a 1* kitchen is I suppose.

I will still take the DGC to the farm and cafe owned by that well-known person that we like and at least they keep telling you to wash your hands!! And they are very friendly, so perhaps the bacteria are friendly too

Dampers is what you make in the Australian Outback on the campfire
Eaten with a cuppa made in a billy

You can at Cardiff Gaol anyway ('The Clink'), I don't know if Usk Prison has a restaurant open to the public.

What are dampers?

I'm amazed they rate prisons!

rq No. It's the seagulls I'm more wary of. But they seemed well behaved. I liked the ducks.

Oh dear I think I must be in a minority of one on this.

I see that HMP Usk has a 5 star rating!
Maybe we'll try there next time.

Did the ducks come and pinch your fish and chips?

I gave DGD2 a piece of bread to throw to those blasted ducks, she threw it so enthusiastically she nearly went hurtling down the bank into the river ..... just managed to grab her dress.

rosequarz DH says it was actually in Monmouth. Not Aber. The Robin Hood. aargh!

Actually, haven't been in that one for years - and I'm not going in again
Although the Indian hasn't got a great rating either!
The 1 star which now has a 4 star is just outside Monmouth too ........

I am eating at home in my own kitchen (just don't look in the oven).

Glad we just ate fish and chips sitting by the river!

yes. It was the Robin Hood, Monmouth. Link here

rosequarz DH says it was actually in Monmouth. Not Aber. The Robin Hood.

Blimey a 1 star means they need to make urgent and major changes to their hygiene standards. Yuk!

I have just checked and they now have a 4 rating - so obviously got disinfecting and scrubbing!