Schools pass food hygiene inspections while Jamie Oliver's standards questioned

The majority of education establishments in Flintshire have recorded a food hygiene pass rate of either four or five stars.

For 28 out of 29 schools, conditions in the county west of Chester were rated as being either 'good' or 'very good', which could act as strong reassurance for parents. Only one was rated as satisfactory, being awarded three stars out of five. While not all of the schools have been inspected as part of the new scheme, the reputability of the area could well be advanced.

Meanwhile, basic food safety standards could be called into question at one of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurants in Nottingham. Kevin Cooper claimed that during a meal with his wife and family, a mouse ran across his table.

"Our experience there ruined the whole day," claimed Mr Cooper, who described how he took his brother for a meal at one of Oliver's eateries after a day's shopping in the city.

His sister in law, who claimed to have first spotted the rodent, added: "The mouse was just sat there looking at Kevin's food. A lot of people would have screamed, but we didn't want to make a fuss."

The city's food safety authorities outlined in a letter to Mr Cooper how in previous visits to the establishment, the council had noticed evidence of rodent activity. Despite this, officials said they were satisfied that adequate measures were being put into place by the restaurant to ensure that any infestation was avoided.

In response, a spokesman for Oliver, who has personally campaigned vigorously for improvements in school kitchen hygiene, said that the diners "alleged to have had their meal in April but the first we head of their complaint was in July".

He added that the restaurant is investigating the incident fully but that mice were occasionally a problem for a variety of businesses in the city.