A FAMILY-RUN hotel has hit out at a hygiene report which gave it the lowest rating possible, partly over rare duck breast and homemade mayonnaise.

Keith and Jo Walkley-Pratt, who run the Bear Hotel in Wantage, said they were also penalised because staff wrote jokey notes to each other in their kitchen record book.

The couple, whose daughter Eleanor also works at the Bear, insist customers' safety was never put at risk, but say they fell foul of overcautious health and safety regulations.

Mrs Walkley-Pratt said: "They said we cooked duck pink, which I would say everybody does.

"I was in a restaurant the other day in Marlborough where they offered pink duck but apparently now we have do serve it well-done."

Refusing to serve overcooked duck, the hotel has taken the dish off the menu and replaced it with a duck confit.

Mr Walkley-Pratt said the inspector who visited on June 9 also criticised them for using fresh eggs rather than pasteurised egg powder to make their own mayonnaise.

He said: "For a couple of dishes we made a nice, fresh lemon mayonnaise. Now we don't make any."

The couple, who have run the Bear for seven years, said customers should not be put off by a bad hygiene report, which was "mostly about paper work".

Mr Walkley-Pratt said: "When you read that one star it looks like it is horrendous, but at no time has the public been at risk.

"We have been here for seven years, had about ten inspections in that time, and only ever had a one report with only one star.

"People think the rating is about hygiene but it's mostly about paperwork – can you find the Rentokil book quickly?"

The report summary rated food hygiene and safety "poor", saying there was "major non-compliance with statutory obligations".

The inspector said they had "little confidence in management" and that there was a "varying record of compliance".

Cleaning also needed to be improved in the kitchen, bar and cellar - particularly in low-level areas like table legs and pipe work.

The couple said they changed procedures to meet all the requirements of the report – except installing a new sink – within 48 hours of the visit.

A new sink will be installed in due course.

But the one-star rating will stand until their next inspection, and they only know the inspector will make a return visit sometime by September 9.

Mr Walkley-Pratt said: "We have 40 people working at this hotel and we feel let down [by the rating].

"We only dropped from five stars to four last year."

He said he was confident the hotel's four-star rating would be restored at the next inspection.