AN ANDOVER cafe has received a five-star food hygiene rating just months after opening in the town centre.
As previously reported, NotJUST A Café, at 25 High Street, and took over the premises formerly occupied by Canto Gelato, with a unique mission to promote sustainability, healthy eating, and community support.
The cafe received a visit from the Food Standards Agency on Thursday, March 14, to inspect the cafe's handling of food and drink and cleanliness, to give it a rating of between zero and five.
The areas inspected by the Food Standard Agency are hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, and management of food safety.
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NotJUST A Café received a rating of 'very good' in all three of these areas, resulting in the cafe being awarded a five-star food hygiene rating.
Founder Daisy Beven said: "It's been incredibly hard to get everything in place and as we wanted it to be, and we have rigorous checks to ensure we can aim for and maintain a great standard of food hygiene.
"We received no advisories from our inspection and the whole thing went really well, which makes all the sleepless nights and effort the team has gone to so worth it.
"I'm really proud of everyone in the team and we're looking forward to where the year will take us."
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Operated by NotJUST Andover CIC, a not-for-profit organisation rooted in Andover, the café stands out for its commitment to combat food waste while providing affordable and nutritious meals to the local community.
The organisation also spearheads initiatives to support homeless individuals through pay-it-forward schemes and free takeaway meals.
Since its opening at the start of the year, NotJUST A Café has been serving the public from Tuesday to Saturday, operating between 9am and 4pm.
More information on NotJUST A Cafe can be found at not-just.org.uk/andover-cafe.
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