The landlords of a south Norfolk village pub are "proud" of their new and improved food hygiene rating after taking "hurtful" abuse on social media from their previous low score.
The Artichoke in Broome, which was voted by EDP readers as offering the second-best roast dinner in the county, was first inspected on March 24, 2023.
Its landlords, Colin and Alison Nicholas, were disappointed by the overall rating which was 'major improvement necessary' - one out of five.
But following a new inspection on Tuesday, July 18, the landlords, who have run the pub for six and a half years, are happy with the new and improved four out of five star rating.
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Mr Nicholas said: "We are very proud of the new rating, especially after all of the vicious and hurtful abuse our staff received after it was shared on Facebook.
"It is just a shame that there are vindictive people out there who are out to say nasty things about a business all over social media, often anonymously.
"We are back to better standards, and in the end, we will return to a five star rating I am sure of that."
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Specifically, the first report rated 'hygienic food handling' and the 'cleanliness and condition of facilities and buildings' as 'improvement necessary'.
It also said the 'management of food safety' category was graded as 'major improvement necessary'.
And to address the problem, Mr and Mrs Nicholas ordered a full refurbishment of their kitchen and made improvements to its functionality.
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Mr Nicholas said: "Anyway, we are back, and as voted for by the EDP, we are the second best place in the county for a roast dinner.
"We also provide vegan and gluten-free offerings on our menu - though primarily we are a real ale pub and support CAMRA."
Under the previous owners, The Artichoke was voted the 2009 CAMRA Norfolk Pub of the Year.
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