Chelmsford foodies will be hoping famed chef Jamie Oliver experiences a reversal in fortunes when he opens a new restaurant in the city centre.
The broadcaster was forced to temporarily close his Barbecoa butcher's shop after public health inspectors discovered serious public health breaches including mouse droppings and mouldy carcasses, according to The Times.
It comes after a change of use application lodged with Chelmsford City Council revealed the chef's plans for the former Barclays branch in High Street.
Barbecoa, which supplies its upstairs restaurant with meat - shut its doors for 24 hours after Food Standards Agency officers rated it only one out of five in January, with inspection notes reading "major improvement necessary".
The branch is located near St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The assessment found a "heavy presence" of mouse droppings, out-of-date oxtail, onglet, Spanish pork, marrow bone and wagyu beef, hanging carcasses with mould growing on them, and dirty slicers and vacuum packers.
Deboned chicken breasts had been deboned from their box, then vacuum packed and relabelled with a date set for a week later.
A spokesman for the Jamie Oliver group told The Times that the issues were swiftly dealt with.
