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30
Restaurant Kitchens, etc.
The number of restaurants and cafés (including fixed and mobile
stalls) on the register at the end of the year was 195. 953 inspections
were made.
Reference is made in the preceding paragraph to the inspection
of these premises.
Festival Pleasure Gardens, Battersea Park.
May, 1951, saw the opening of these gardens, which formed
an integral part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. They were
designed to recapture the spirit of the Vauxhall, Cremorne and
Ranelagh Pleasure Gardens which were a feature of London life
in the 18th and 19th centuries, providing amusement and refreshment
for their patrons. They remained open for six months,
and in that time were visited by over 8,000,000 people. Obviously
the provision of refreshment for this multitude was an undertaking
of considerable magnitude. It required the services of 15 cafés
(varying from first-class restaurants at which a full-course dinner,
with waiter service, could be obtained, to the humble snack bar
at which one need purchase nothing more than a cup of tea),
14 ice cream kiosks, 3 beer gardens, and numerous kiosks for the
sale of "hot-dogs," potato fritters, jellied eels, shellfish, soft drinks,
sweets, etc.
Under a special Act of Parliament, the Company operating
the Gardens had exemption from the requirements of the Building
Acts and Drainage By-laws, but this exemption did not relieve
them from compliance with the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, and
other Public Health enactments. In consequence, the Council
were in a position to exercise full control over the cafés and
other places where food was prepared and sold. Numerous and
regular inspections were therefore made. It is gratifying to record
that the general standard of hygiene was very high. In the larger
restaurants, especially, the equipment was of the very latest design,
much thought had been given to the layout of the kitchens, and
every possible facility for the hygienic handling and service of
food was provided. The only serious fault found was that in
some cases the provision of proper aerial disconnection between
kitchens and sanitary conveniences had been overlooked. This
was, however, remedied immediately it was brought to the notice
of the Company. Even in the kiosks, hot and cold running water,
and a supply of soap and towels, were provided either in
the kiosks themselves or at a readily accessible point. Not
unnaturally, there were a few instances in which minor improvements
were felt to be desirable, and the Company very readily
agreed to any suggestions made to them.
It is interesting to record that not a single case of serious
illness was attributed to the enormous quantities of food and
drink which must have been consumed during the six months the
Gardens were open to the public, nor was any complaint of any
substance made about the conditions under which the catering
arrangements operated.