Jamie Oliver butcher's shop closes after inspectors find mouse droppings

Jamie Oliver's restaurant group has confirmed it closed its flagship butcher's shop in the City of London for 24 hours after public health officers found poor hygiene conditions.

When Corporation of London inspectors called at the TV chef's Barbecoa butcher's in January, they found a "heavy presence" of mouse droppings, mould on carcasses and dirty equipment.

The public health officers gave the butcher's a score of one out of five. The Food Standard Agency's hygiene ratings table still states that "major improvement is necessary" at Barbecoa.

The high-end butcher's, which Oliver's group brands "a cathedral of food" – it is located close to St Paul's Cathedral – has a restaurant of the same name and runs two-hour masterclasses on the "art of butchery" for £125.

Inspectors found several gourmet meat products that were past their use-by dates. They included wagyu beef, onglet and lomo de cana – Spanish cured pork loins – according to the full copy of the inspectors' report obtained by the Times after a freedom of information request.

The inspectors also noted dirty fridge door handles, poor lighting, inadequate staff washing facilities and damaged flooring, it was reported.

Oliver's restaurant group said: "Following the environmental health inspection in January we took the immediate decision to voluntarily close the butchery for several hours in order to urgently address the issues raised. We opened within 24 hours and officers noted the improvements had been made. Issues such as this are extremely rare within the JO Restaurant Group and are treated with the utmost severity."

But the company challenged the inspectors' verdict that mould found on some of the carcasses made the meat unfit for human consumption. The meat was disposed of, but a spokeswoman told the Times: "The longer the meat dry-ages, the more the mould occurs. This is a natural process and is safe to eat."