GREEN TIPS : February 2011 ~ Local Businesses ~ a Star in our Community

Recently I had an excellent meal at The Maharajah in Purton and spoke to the owner, Khalique Ali. The Maharajah has had a 5 Star rating for Food Hygiene and Safety for 15 years. Khalique can be very proud of this achievement, a fact that had apparently prompted North Wilts (now Wiltshire Council) Environmental Health Services to ask him for some help. He told me that in 2007 he had shared his expertise with other owners and chefs of Bengali restaurants and takeaways. Khalique was asked to assist in a food safety seminar at Monkton Park specifically aimed to help Bengali and Indian caterers.

He had created a system to maintain a very high standard in his own restaurant and the results of this system met all the food safety requirements expected by North Wilts. He agreed to help other caterers who were having difficulties in achieving the required standard of food hygiene and safety. Khalique told me that he was uniquely placed to assist at the seminar because he had a good food safety system and, of course, he spoke Bangladeshi and English. He could help other caterers who had problems understanding the requirements set down by the Environmental Health Services because they had been written in English. He explained what standards had to be achieved to the caterers in their own language and how his own system had helped him to “tick all the right boxes” for so many years.

I am told by Khalique that all of the people at the seminar have gone on to be successful in obtaining an acceptable standard for Food Hygiene and Safety. Fifteen years of having a 5 star rating is certainly an accolade and well deserved. Being able to help others in their pursuit of similar high standards is very creditable too. Well done Khalique!

It is important to support all our businesses in our parish so that we have a thriving micro economy. We have a surprising number of enterprises in Purton and Purton Stoke (just dip into the adverts of this magazine for instance). It is such a shame to see trades and suppliers from outside the locality working in the villages when we have such a wealth of home-grown talent on which to draw.

If we value the community we live in then we have to nurture local businesses and organisations ~ they are an important part of the community. And, of course, anyone who is at all concerned about their carbon footprint should shop and hire locally.

P.S. it is not too late to write to object to the Ridgeway Farm development ~ see separate article, and for latest updates on this and other village matters join the Ps and Qs Village Alert! ~ a regular electronic bulletin, contact: advice@purtoninfo.org.uk

Compiled by Jane Smith for Ps & Qs
Ps and Qs stands for Purton’s Qualities
Valuing Community Life - campaigning for sustainable communities
New members are always welcome
Contact: Jane Smith (772422) Jacqui Lay (770704) or via our web site: www.purtoninfo.org.uk

The attached release marks yet another milestone in the establishment of the finest quality Tandoori & Balti restaurant in the area.

Already recognised for its excellent cuisine the Maharajah chalks up yet another accolade but from a very interesting source.

Purton is a thriving village in North Wiltshire and an ideal setting for this mounting success story.

When Mr Abdul Khalique Ali opened the Maharajah Restaurant in Purton he had one ambition, to build a widespread reputation for the finest quality food and service. This is now well established and the Maharajah has often received praise from food critics and had many worthy mentions in respected magazines and guides.
These of course are all good indications that the food really is something special and well above the ordinary, but recently an even higher accolade was received from an unusual source.

All premises selling food are legally required to meet strict standards in the control of their kitchens. This extends to proper control over all the foods and raw materials purchased and to meeting the very highest standards in food hygiene. The Environmental Health Officers, whose job in part, is to enforce these standards, visit premises and inspect all aspects of these essential requirements to ensure compliance.

On a recent visit to the Maharajah, the Environmental Health Officer was moved to write a congratulatory letter containing the following comments:

"I write to congratulate you on the very high standard of hygiene and cleanliness noted at your premises during the recent routine food safety inspection.

Would you please pass on my comments to your staff and urge them to continue with their good work.

The paper controls you have in place are an essential and integral part in ensuring food safety and it was a pleasure to find such a comprehensive system.

Once again may I say well done."

Well, high praise indeed, how often is it that a restaurant receives praise from such a professional source. The Environmental Health Officers perform an outstanding and often thankless job in protecting the general public and are regularly required to enforce standards when they find restaurants which simply fail to look after the essential aspects of food hygiene.

So we can rest assured that the Maharajah Restaurant in Purton, not only provides us with some of the finest Indian dishes available, but also provides the very highest levels of food Hygiene in the preparation of its excellent foods.