A HEAD chef's recipe of dirt, grease and mouldy food landed his boss with a £10,000 court bill.

Cook David Boyes left the day before food safety officers made an unannounced visit to the Gateway Of York Hotel in Kexby.

The hotel has since completed a £40,000 refurbishment and has a new head chef and new general manager.

Sean Suckling, York food safety unit manager, prosecuting , said the officers found dust, dirt and grease on the fridges, cooking items, pipework and elsewhere in the Kexby hotel's kitchen on February 20, 2006. They also found mouldy food, and seasoning and sauces that should have been in the fridge kept at room temperature.

After looking at pictures of the kitchen, senior magistrate at York, Margaret Scott, said: "No one (of the public) had complained, but if they had seen the kitchen they would have. Public health was definitely in jeopardy.

"The chef left the day before and it may be he was very disenchanted before he left. The kitchen was left in an appalling state."

Mr Suckling said the hotel management closed the kitchen voluntarily on the day of the inspection and staff spent three days cleaning it. They did not reopen it until food safety officers gave it the seal of approval.

Outside court, owner Colin Marsh revealed he had spent £40,000 improving the hotel since he bought it in August 2005, including work on the kitchen.

"The outcome of today's court case bears no reflection on the current situation at the hotel where investment continues," he said. The hotel has a new head chef and a new general manager, Craig Brown.

Jonathan Cripwell, for the hotel, told magistrates that William Graham, general manager in 2005, had also handed in his resignation shortly before the inspection.

He and Mr Boyes were responsible for the kitchen's condition and had 20 or 30 years' experience.

"The standards of both the head chef and the general manager were plainly not of a quality that their qualifications and experience should have demonstrated," he said.

Gateway of York Hotel Ltd admitted three breaches of kitchen hygiene regulations and was fined £9,500 with £599 prosecution costs.

Mr Suckling said the inspection on February 20, 2006, was a routine call. No one had reported being ill after eating at the hotel and that there were no complaints or allegations of hygiene breaches at the other three hotels in the same hotel group.

Mr Cripwell said the hotel needed considerable work doing on it when Mr Marsh bought it. The kitchen got a major clean every three months in 2005/6 by private contractors and was due another clean on February 27.