SCHOOLS, restaurants, supermarkets, fast food outlets and care homes are among the best in Huntingdonshire for hygiene standards in their kitchens, according to new ratings introduced this week by environmental health chiefs. Huntingdonshire District Cou

SCHOOLS, restaurants, supermarkets, fast food outlets and care homes are among the best in Huntingdonshire for hygiene standards in their kitchens, according to new ratings introduced this week by environmental health chiefs.

Huntingdonshire District Council has introduced a "Scores on the doors" scheme, rating nearly 1,000 food outlets in the largest non-unitary authority in England.

Top of the published list is Eastfield Infants School, in St Ives, followed by the Cambridge Golf and Conference Centre at Hemingford Abbots - which, ironically, is having a bit of a spat with council planners about its restaurant.

Also in the top 10 are the Elm House care home in Eynesbury, Waitrose's three supermarkets in St Ives, Huntingdon and St Neots, The Barn restaurant at Pidley - last year's Hunts Post Restaurant of the Year - and the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet at Towerfields in Huntingdon.

In all, 47 outlets achieve five stars in the HDC ratings, including several schools, care homes and fast food outlets, the Sergeants' and Officers' Messes at RAF Wyton and the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart in St Ives.

HDC points out, however, that the order of listing within the star-rating is random.

Propping up the list of those inspected are the Crusty Bun in Hemingford Grey, Hartford Mill, Wyton, Eynesbury Rovers FC, Adu's in Chequers Court, Huntingdon, and Bluntisham Stores (all with no stars). Thirty-three outlets get just one star.

Nearly 200 establishments are regarded as such low risk that they are not routinely inspected, and 43 have not yet been rated by HDC's environmental health inspection team.

Dr Susan Lammin, head of environmental and community health services at the council, said; "The scheme is designed to celebrate the high standards of hygiene in some food premises, to provide impetus for improvement in others and to give customers information for when they are deciding where to eat out and buy food.