I was called to court over the state of my Oldham butchers- now I've got a five-star hygiene rating

A butcher has moved from a one-star to five-star hygiene rating after making transformational changes to his shop. Bayman Butchers in Ashton Road, Oldham has come a long way since it was fined more than £700 for “dirty” conditions in 2022 when owner John Bayman was called to court after a visit from environmental health inspectors.

At the time, it was found the shop had no running hot water and had no wash basin in the toilet. But after renovations, the family-run shop passed the latest hygiene inspection with flying colours, receiving a “very good” rating in all categories. This included the ‘cleanliness and condition of facilities’ and the ‘hygienic storage of food’. 

John Bayman, who has been running the shop for more than 30 years, was relieved about the new rating. 

“I’ve cleaned up,” Bayman said. “Now it’s in the window – five star rating. I just want a clean slate for my son, who’s taking over the business.”

He told the LDRS how the period after the dip in his rating was “difficult” but he took solace from a fiercely loyal base of customers in the local community. 

“I love Oldham,” the butcher said “I love the place and the people here. I also love my job – I’ve been doing it for 32 years! And I’m very fortunate to that my son loves this job too and wants to take over the butchers.”

Bayman pleaded guilty for eight food hygiene offences at Tameside Magistrate’s Court in November 2022,  after a follow-up inspection in 2021 found he had failed to respond to a previous warning about his facilities. When the case came before the court, he had already completed the works to improve his shop, which included new meat-hanging racks and plumbing works.

The court gave him a conditional discharge and a fine of more than £700.  Bayman explained that the lapse in conditions happened after he was left to run the shop by himself in the middle of the pandemic. The butcher, a single dad of seven, said he had kept the shop open by himself, all while juggling family duties and the stresses of the pandemic. He’d simply been overwhelmed.  

“During the pandemic someone that worked for me retired. It was always the two of us and suddenly it was just me there from seven o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock at night. I was working, working, working. It was a nightmare.” 

Now, with the rating restored, he hopes he can wipe the slate clean and continue to focus on what really matters to him: “good meat from good local sources,” Bayman said. 

The council’s Food Safety team and pest control team can be contacted via [email protected] or 0161 770 2244. Information for businesses is also available on the council’s website.