A popular Indian restaurant in West Berkshire has recently received one of the highest food hygiene ratings.

Spice Lounge, located on Theale High Street, managed by Wahhab Miah and owned by Tutan Miah opened six years ago to rousing success within the local community.

The family-run business has said that they are delighted to have regained the four-star rating after a couple of tough years during the pandemic.

On August 10, 2023, the restaurant was shocked to hear that the West Berkshire Council and Food Standards Agency had given them the worst possible rating (Zero) following an inspection of the premises.

Manager, Wahhab Miah said: “I was so shocked when I found out that we had received a poor hygiene score. It was a complete one-off situation and at the time it woke me up to what we were doing in the business.

“We have always been a regular spot for people in the community and we strive to go above and beyond for our customers.

“I think that after Covid, things were struggling to get back up and running and we took our eye off the ball. In the last nine months I have made sure that everything is always at the highest standard every night.”

Inspectors visited The Spice Lounge for their latest inspection on February 20, 2024 and awarded the eatery with a four-star food hygiene review.

During the visit, the whole premises is inspected to score the restaurant on the cleanliness and condition of the building, hygienic food handling and management of food safety.

A food rating score of four means that the restaurant's food hygiene is deemed ‘Good’.

The Spice Lounge is a significant business within the Theale community with most of their customers regularly frequenting the eatery.

Wahhab said: “We are a family-run business and all our customers are very important to us which is why we try to go above and beyond for them.

“We are currently in negotiations to sponsor the local football team – The Theale Tigers.”