FOOD hygiene ratings are all very well but what happens when you choose to ignore them completely?

I like how we British are obsessed with rating everything. We like to have everything in order all the time and if it hasn’t got some sort of rating we simply don’t trust it.

I suppose it gives us peace of mind which is all very well.

The only time we don’t care about ratings is when we go on holiday and decide to have a kebab from a street vendor. Then, it is called ‘sampling the local delights’.

I, however have a big problem. I actually like eating at those places with really bad food hygiene ratings. I know this may well not go down well with some readers but hear me out.

The food hygiene rating is telling me that maybe the takeaway isn’t taking cleaning as seriously as it should. But then I honestly don’t care if the food tastes good? Should I stop going there because the hygiene rating was so low?

Take away hygiene rating for Blackburn with Darwen September 2018

The food is decent so who cares? Has the food hygiene rating made any difference to me?

Blackburn with Darwen food hygiene - rating 5

Blackburn with Darwen food hygiene - rating 4

Blackburn with Darwen food hygiene - rating 3

Blackburn with Darwen food hygiene - rating 2

Blackburn with Darwen food hygiene - rating 1

I am not alone in this ‘filthy’ habit. There are it seems many others like me and our numbers are growing.

Take for example Manchester Sweet Centre on Whalley Range in Blackburn.

Last year it had a Food Hygiene Rating of zero. Now, in 2018 it has a rating of 3. But I honestly couldn’t care less and neither could the other thousand customers who queue up to have their samosas there on a weekly basis.

And when I say thousands I mean thousands.

Manchester Sweet Centre is almost an institution in this town and it doesn’t even have anywhere to sit. People stand and eat out of single trays.

There was also Naz kebab House that had a rating of zero (November 2017). I didn’t care then and I don’t care now. In fact I remember reading it had a zero rating and going to get a kobeda from there anyway because I like the chutney. The new rating for this place isn’t in yet but I am sure it has improved somewhat.

The thing is, food hygiene ratings are all very well but some of us don’t care.

Maybe takeaways should be allowed to rate their customers. It's guaranteed I would get 5 for loyalty.