Michelin chef wins top hygiene rating after claiming he’d only been given one-star verdict because food inspectors didn’t understand his sashimi

A Michelin-starred chef has been awarded a top food hygiene rating after arguing that an earlier, lower one-star verdict came about because inspectors misunderstood his preparation of sashimi. The case highlights a recurring tension between standard hygiene inspection criteria, which are often designed around cooked food safety, and specialist raw-fish dishes that follow different but equally rigorous safety practices.

The chef had reportedly challenged the original assessment, contending that inspectors were not familiar with the techniques used in preparing sashimi, leading to an unfairly low score. Following a review, the rating was revised upward to the top hygiene classification, vindicating his complaint that the initial inspection had failed to account for the specialised methods used in his kitchen.