A POPULAR vegetarian and vegan cafe was slammed by hygiene inspectors over the shelf life of its falafel and lack of hot water just days after opening.

Rick's Vegetarian in St Clement's Street was given a two-star rating when environmental health officers visited in February shortly after it opened.

Falafel, soup and rice were all being given too long a shelf life and parts of the premises were branded 'filthy'.

But issues such as the boiler not being switched on, no hot water and no hand washing facilities are all believed to have been sorted in the months since.

The Oxford Mail understands an improvement project is currently ongoing ahead of a potential re-inspection.

Oxford City Council environmental health officers raised a number of concerns during their visit on February 15.

They said: "The shelf life given to cooked foods was too long - soup dated February 10 and rice dated February 11 were still in storage.

"Large quantities of falafel made on February 12 were also in storage.

"You must review stock rotation and consider a shelf life of not more than day of cooking or preparation plus two."

The water boiler had not been switched on and there was no water connection to the sinks and the dishwasher was also disconnected.

Inspectors were also worried there was no soap and hand drying facilities for staff working the cafe.

There was also no food safety management system and other concerns other lack of equipment.

They said: "There were no checks in place to demonstrate safe cooking - ensure good temperatures are in place.

But inspectors were also concerned there was no probe thermometer at the premises and made it clear this was needed for good temperature control.

The cafe was rated 'good' when it came to structural compliance but inspectors still had issues with the condition of the premises.

They said: "I am concerned about the use of extension leads for equipment - ensure a valid electrical inspection report is available."

"Gaps and voids in the wall in the rear corridor need to be fixed.

"Light switch in this area was filthy and coming loose from the wall - keep clean and fix in place."

Overall the food hygiene and safety was rated 'poor' but inspectors said they had 'some' confidence in management to turn things around.

But the cafe has proved popular on TripAdvisor and among vegan bloggers in recent months and could be re-inspected soon.