A 17TH-CENTURY castle and four star hotel in Co Antrim, which had previously received a zero rating for food hygiene, has been awarded four stars in a re-inspection.
Ballygally Castle Hotel, which is part of the Hastings Hotels Group, was deemed to have a 'good' level of food hygiene when inspected on Monday.
The hotel, which underwent a £4 million refurbishment in 2013, had previously received the lowest possible ranking in an inspection on July 5.
Ballygally Castle, which is located on the picturesque Antrim coast road around six miles outside Larne, had been told an "urgent improvement" was needed to its food hygiene levels.
Norman McBride, the general manager of Ballygally Castle Hotel, said: "There were a number of procedures in our July inspection that were at variance with what we have previously experienced as a hotel and a company which undoubtedly contributed to the bewildering score.
"I would like to apologise to customers for the consternation this issue has caused and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure everyone that our kitchens are immaculate and our staff are fastidious when it comes to cleanliness."
Mr McBride added: "We are working closely with council officials to understand how this unfortunate incident occurred and we are now turning our attention to re-instating a 5 rating for our food hygiene, which we and our sister hotels in the Hastings Group have held for many years."
Six premises across the north, which have all been inspected at some stage this year, received a zero rating.
From October 1, all premises serving food in Northern Ireland will be obliged under law to display their food hygiene rating, with expected fines of £200 for non-compliance.
