Restaurant Owner Fined £10,000 'Tried To Pretend Disgusting Mouldy Chicken Was Crab Meat’

A restaurant owner who's been fined £10,000 'tried to pass off revolting mouldy chicken as a boiled crab'.

Despite being ordered to shut down its business in August that year, owner Gaby Kolajo had other plans.

He was spotted, just days after, hosting a birthday party in the venue.

Kolajo told officers, who caught him that day, that he'd chosen to close half of the premises.

On further inspection, officers reportedly found a container of mouldy chicken in the kitchen.

Yet, Kolajo insisted that the tub contained boiled crab.

The owner appeared at Stratford Magistrates Court last month and was found guilty of failing to keep his business clean or control pests, serving customers despite an imminent health risk and serving food 'unfit for human consumption'.

He was then given the highest possible fine of £10,170, which included £2,000 costs to the council, as well as a £170 victim surcharge.

Council deputy leader Clyde Loakes said: “The magistrate clearly saw through Kolajo’s claims and used their full powers as a warning that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

"The state of the kitchens was bad enough but the owner decided to ignore the environmental health officer and the court to continue serving customers, putting their health at serious risk.

"As a local authority we have limited powers in what we can do to a business - even one that so egregiously ignores order.

"But you can rest assured that we will use all the powers available to us to take action against the minority of food business operators who do not take their responsibilities seriously like Mr Kolajo."

The way in which the inspector observed food being stored and prepared was described as 'ideal conditions for food positioning bacteria'.

Cross-contamination was a particular concern, with raw meat prepared next to food that was about to be served, and raw and cooked meat stored alongside each other in the fridge. 

A whole raw fish was also found being kept in a washing up bowl in the fridge - which was 12.9°C, almost 8°C warmer than Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommendations.

The report concluded: "The hygiene and safety standards noted on this inspection fall well below those expected."