Farm shop hits back over shock one-star food hygiene rating

Britwell Salome Farm Shop, on Red Lion Farm in Watlington, was given a one-star rating by South Oxfordshire District Council environmental health officers following a routine visit in January this year.

The farm shop has now confirmed they received the poor rating after not confirming to new allergy legislation, Natasha’s Law, and paperwork issues.

Natasha’s Law is a landmark UK food safety regulation that requires all food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and highlight allergens on packaging for foods Pre-Packed for Direct Sale (PPDS).

The law is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, the 15-year-old who tragically died in 2016 after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a Pret-a-Manger baguette that contained hidden sesame seeds.

Prior to this law, foods prepared and packaged on the exact same premises from which they were sold, like farm shops, were legally exempt from displaying ingredient labels on their packaging.

Restaurants and bars can regularly receive a poor food hygiene rating because inspectors cannot see enough evidence of safe food management.

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The team at Britwell Salome Farm Shop, left to right are master butcher Martin Piddington, Jake Howard, co-owner Julia Mearns, shop manager Amanda Saunders, and Wayne Anderson (Image: Julia Mearns)

A spokesperson for Britwell Salome Farm Shop said: “We are writing this due to negative comments we have seen and been told about and want to bring you all up to date.

“In January we had a spot EHO inspection.

“We were marked down to one star due to not conforming to new allergy legislation- Natasha’s Law and some other paperwork issues.

“We immediately invested over £3000 in new compliant scales which list all ingredients/ allergens.

“The paperwork is now updated and we have all renewed our Food Safety & Hygiene certificates.

“We followed her advice and guidance and on the inspectors follow up visit in April she was more than happy with our improvements and implied we were now a 4 star.

“We work hard to provide and maintain the highest standards and thank you for your continued support.”

The farm shop was previously handed a five out of five rating in July 2024.

Last month Britwell Salome Farm Shop was named ‘local food and drink champions’ for the south east in the Countryside Alliance Awards 2026.

Ms Mearns said her family, including herself, her husband and their three children, set up at Red Lion Farm in 1993 and took over the chilled unit in the barn when it became vacant in 2008, to begin selling the farm’s meat, including pork, beef and lamb, directly to customers, from field to fork.

The shop also stocks a large selection of other locally produced food, from seasonal fruit and veg from a farm in Stanton St John to local honey from the village, jams and preserves which raise money for Oxford homeless charity Porch, as well as bread baked fresh in Thame.