By Megan Stanley

A popular Ealing restaurant has been slammed for having mouldy chopping boards and a dirty kitchen.

The Iranian restaurant, which is a short walk from Ealing Broadway, was told major improvement was necessary by the Food Standards Agency.

Boof, on New Broadway, has incredible reviews on TripAdvisor, with customers praising the 'delicious and aromatic' Iranian dishes served daily. The great reviews mean it is ranked one of the best twenty restaurants in Ealing – but its food hygiene score is less appealing.

Inspectors visited the site in September and gave Bood a hygiene rating of just one out of five, and said their food safety needed 'major improvement'. The Food Standard Agency found unlabeled food, dirty chopping boards and filthy cooking equipment.

The report said: "The red chopping board used for raw meat cutting was slimy. You must thoroughly clean all food equipment.

"Staff were using a green chopping board to cut vegetables, this board was mouldy and when it was turned over the other side was black with mould. It must be thrown away and replaced with a new one."

Inspectors added: "The mincing machine was dirty in that there were remains of meat still stuck in it. You must dismantle the equipment, clean and dismantle it." They continued: "There was a large amount of yellow and black grease collected at the back of the cooking range. Remove all grease and clean regularly."

"Food debris" was found on the floor and on shelves in the cold room, which had a "food stained door". The restaurant also had a meat cleaver that was held together with "brown masking tape."

The restaurant also risked cross-contamination by keeping raw meat near cooked, or ready-to-eat, food like falafel or halloumi. Inspectors said: "Marinating raw meat kebabs were stacked on a plate directly on top of halloumi packs. In the upright fridge in the kitchen, there was a pack of falafel on a tray with raw kebabs.

"I spoke to owner about this and asked what was wrong here. He was aware this was incorrect. Do not do this, you must keep raw products away from ready-to-eat products."

Rice, meat curries, dips, and kebabs found boxed up in the kitchen were not dated, despite Boof's safety manual stating that all food must be dated. Boxes holding cooked rice and curries were also broken. Boof has been contacted for comment.