Bakery chain Ole & Steen has been forced to pay more than £34,000 after a council investigation found a serious food hygiene failings at one of its London sites.
Concerns were raised as part of a routine inspection by Westminster City Council’s environmental health inspectors of the bakery’s flagship Haymarket branch at St James’s Market in January 2025.
Officers identified evidence of ‘significant mouse activity’ throughout food preparation and storage areas, including fresh mouse droppings in multiple locations, as well as several poor food hygiene practices that presented a risk of cross-contamination.
Crucially, the council said, the investigation found that the business had already been made aware of the pest issues through its pest control contractor prior to the inspection but had failed to act.
Councillor Caroline Sargent, deputy leader and cabinet member for enforcement, said the council expects the highest possible food hygiene standards for residents and visitors, and “will not tolerate a half-baked approach to safety”.
“Our environmental health officers found a catalogue of serious failings, including mouse droppings in several locations and poor food hygiene practices, despite this branch receiving previous warnings,” Sargent added.
The case was heard at Westminster Magistrates Court on 10 June 2026 where Ole & Steen pleaded guilty and was fined £26,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,847.
“In late 2024, the conditions at our St James’s Market store fell below the standard our customers expect and the standard we hold ourselves to,” an Ole & Steen spokesperson said. “We immediately closed the store to address the issue and re-opened two days later. WCC visited while we were taking action and this location has now been awarded four stars for hygiene and cleanliness.”
They added that Ole & Steen remains “committed to upholding the highest food safety and hygiene standards across all of our stores”.
Ole & Steen currently operates 26 bakeries most of which are in and around London, with a site in Oxford, Windsor, and Guildford as well. In November last year Waitrose added the firm’s pastries to its in-store bakery line-up in 35 stores, a partnership which has recently been extended to a further 15 sites with products including its signature Cinnamon Social, Cardamom Bun, and Chocolate Swirl.
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