Food ratings - they should be compulsory

The Food Standards Agency has started to publish hygiene ratings for restaurants on its website. The ratings range from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good). This is a step in the right direction.

However, for the scheme to be fully effective, premises should be required by law to display the ratings in their windows. It is no good making the display of ratings optional, this defeats the object. These places rely on customers to keep them in business, therefore customers have the right to know that the place they are patronising is actually fit to eat in. There is no excuse for any food establishment to score less than 5, and those who are too idle to ensure that their premises come up to scratch should be named and shamed.

The ratings website is here.

Goldfinches

A few weeks ago we put some bird feeders out - two containing mealworms which have been enjoyed by the local starlings (and nothing else!) and one containing niger.

For ages the niger went untouched, but in the past couple of days we have seen increasing numbers of goldfinches coming to feed. Today I had the opportunity to capture them on video and also take a couple of photos. See them below.