Six Things London Pub Kitchens Get Wrong
London pubs do a lot of things well. The atmosphere, the history, the pint poured just right. But step behind the bar and into the kitchen, and it's often a different story. Environmental Health Officer (EHO) inspections regularly flag the same problems in pub kitchens across the city, and most of them are completely avoidable.
The thing is, a lot of these issues have been hiding in plain sight for years. Here's what keeps going wrong and what actually fixes it.
- Painted Walls That Haven't Been Touched in Years
This one comes up constantly. Painted walls behind fryers and prep areas take a beating from grease, steam and daily wear. After a few years, the paint starts to peel, bubble or crack, and once that happens, moisture gets in. That's when mould starts growing in spots you can't easily reach.
Repainting every year or two isn't a realistic long-term fix for a busy pub kitchen. PVC hygienic cladding from a tested supplier, like Simply Cladding, is a far better option because it's food-approved, fire-rated and can be wiped clean without breaking down over time. It goes straight over existing walls, so there's no need to strip everything back first.
- Cracked Tiles and Mouldy Grout
Tiled walls used to be the go-to for commercial kitchens, and plenty of London pubs still have them. The problem is that grout absorbs moisture and grease. Once it discolours or cracks, bacteria will build up in the gaps. An EHO won't overlook that.
Ripping out old tiles is messy, expensive and means closing the kitchen for days. Cladding panels can be fitted directly over tiles, which cuts the downtime dramatically. For a pub that relies on food revenue, that difference matters.
- Poor Ventilation and Condensation Build-Up
A kitchen with poor airflow will have condensation dripping off the ceiling and walls within an hour of service. That moisture settles on surfaces, equipment and food prep areas. It also accelerates the breakdown of painted walls and creates ideal conditions for mould.
The fix here starts with the extractor system. Many pub kitchens run hoods that were sized for a lighter menu 15 years ago. If you've expanded your food offering, get the extraction reassessed. A properly balanced system will remove steam and grease-laden air before it has a chance to settle. That alone will extend the life of your walls and ceiling.
- A Menu That Doesn't Match the Kitchen
This is less about hygiene scores and more about operational chaos, but it feeds into everything else. Some pubs try to run a 30-item menu out of a kitchen built for toasties and chips. The result is cluttered prep areas, food stored in the wrong places and corners that never get cleaned because something is always in the way.
Trim the menu down to what the kitchen can actually handle well. A tight, well-executed menu of 10 to 15 items will turn tables faster, reduce waste and make it much easier to keep the kitchen clean between services. Your EHO score will thank you, and so will your head chef.
- Inadequate Handwashing Facilities
It sounds basic, but EHOs flag this more often than you'd think. The handwash basin gets blocked by a stack of trays, or there's no soap, or it's positioned so awkwardly that staff skip it during a busy service. In some older pubs, the basin has been repurposed for rinsing pans and technically doesn't count as a dedicated handwash station anymore.
The rules are clear: you need a dedicated handwash basin with hot and cold running water, soap and a hygienic way to dry hands. It has to be accessible at all times, not tucked behind a shelf. If your current setup doesn't meet that, it's a quick fix that will prevent a much bigger headache at inspection time.
- Flooring That's Seen Better Days
Worn, cracked or uneven flooring is a safety hazard and a hygiene risk. Grease and food debris get trapped in cracks, and damaged flooring is harder to clean properly. Slip-resistant commercial vinyl or resin flooring will last longer and give EHOs nothing to write about.
Don't overlook the joins between the floor and walls either. Coved edging, where the flooring curves up to meet the wall, stops dirt and liquid from collecting in that gap. It's standard in newer commercial kitchens, but many older pub kitchens still have a flat join that's impossible to keep clean.
What a Clean Kitchen Actually Looks Like
Most of these problems don't come from neglect. They come from kitchens that were set up decades ago and have been patched rather than properly updated. The good news is that none of them require a full refit to fix.
A weekend of targeted work, the right materials and a realistic menu can turn a borderline kitchen into one that passes inspection without stress. For any pub that cares about its food, that's time and money well spent.
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