Gareth Ward has hit out at “lazy journalists” after the details of his one-star hygiene rating were revealed.

His two Michelin star restaurant Ynyshir near Machynlleth received a one-star hygiene rating from inspectors, after they found dead flies, a dirty knife and floors and the risk of cross-contamination from raw meat.

After the details of the report were revealed via a Freedom of Information Request this week, the chef went on an Instagram rant calling the inspectors “prehistoric”, under the caption ‘#f**kbritishjournalism #f**ckEHO #f**kceredigioncountycouncil’.

He said to his viewers: “I haven’t had a meltdown. I am going to fight. I am going to protect what’s mine. I’m not going to roll over and die.”

The videos and the chef’s account have since been taken down.

The inspection found “a fly paper sticky strip” with an “accumulation of dead flies” in the prep room, positioned “directly above a food prep surface”, presenting a risk of contamination to harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella.

Inspectors also found lobster meat being served raw without proper documentation for identifying or controlling microbiological hazards for this “high-risk activity”.

They found there was no documented procedure for the live lobster tank for its water treatment, temperature, salinity or waste filtration, with the report ordering the restaurant to “cease serving raw lobster immediately” at risk of further enforcement action.

The restaurant charges £468 per person for a 30-course tasting menu.

In the videos, the chef showed viewers the Smithy, a storeroom where inspectors found dead flies and no handwashing station.

The video showed a clean, orderly room with a new handwash station installed.

He showed workers cleaning the kitchen floors and his set of Japanese knives, both of which had been found dirty during the November inspection.

In response to the inspection report, Ward said in a video: “They’re prehistoric, these guys. They’ve actually admitted to me, to my face, they don’t understand my restaurant.

“They’ve judged me before they’ve understood. Instead of trying to understand it, they’ve just slapped a one [star] on it.”

He said his restaurant was responsible for putting Wales on the “culinary map”, adding that “it’s been four weeks of f***ing shit” before thanking his supporters.

On 9 February, the restaurant did not receive its third Michelin star as anticipated, but retained its two-star rating despite the hygiene review.

In an official statement, a Ynyshir spokesperson claimed there were inaccuracies in the inspection report, such as the dirty knife, which was being sharpened when the inspectors were there and therefore seen “part way through the cleaning process”.

The inspection report also stated that there was no UV light in the ageing chamber, when “a UV light was installed, operational and in use within the chamber during the inspection”.

The restaurant added that it was “intentionally non-conventional”, that the "small number of minor issues typical of a busy professional kitchen situated in the countryside of rural Wales" had been "rectified immediately and in full”.

The restaurant is now waiting for the next inspection.