A restaurant in Preston was told that it needed to make significant improvements to its food hygiene – just days after opening.
Abaseen, on Fleet Street in Preston, opened in January 2026 offering authentic South Asian dishes and provides a much-needed Indian option in the city centre. It replaced Kaspa’s which closed in July 2025.
But a visit from Preston City Council’s food safety officers on 28 January found that a number of significant improvements were required to avoid legal actions.
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They were issued a one out of five food hygiene rating.
The food safety reported, obtained by Blog Preston, outlined what specific improvements they need to make to comply with the law and avoid enforcement action. Preston City Council said that a number of improvements have been made since the inspection.
Raw food was being stored next to cooked/ready to eat food, such as chicken, in the fridge which was a cross-contamination risk. Part open bags of raw meat were seen on shelves when they should be covered.
The temperature of food – cheese and Rasmalai specifically – was too high despite being refrigerated and this was therefore deemed to be a food poisoning risk. Pans of sauce or curry were left at room temperature and therefore deemed to be a food poisoning risk.
The standard of cleaning in the kitchen was deemed to be ‘generally poor’ and a deep cleaning and disinfection was ordered.
Various cleanliness issues were recorded, including the floor in the kitchen area, the wall in the kitchen area, a lack of soap and hand-drying facilities at the kitchen sink, bins in the kitchen not having lids, a chopping board in need of replacement and dirty food containers.
Issues with control procedures in the restaurant and how potentially allergenic ingredients were communicated to customers were also identified.
The report reads: “During the inspection of your premises it became clear that you have not done enough to identify control and monitor all steps and activities of your food business that are needed to make certain food is safe.
“Due to the allergenic ingredients held on site and your processes, together with lack of allergen awareness and lack of allergen information for some products, it is of my opinion that you are unable to 100 % guarantee that you can produce food items free from allergenic ingredients due to the risk of cross contamination. It is important that customers are aware of this. I have enclosed a poster which I recommend you display to communicate this.”
Preston City Council’s food safety officers also made a number of recommendations on ways to improve procedures that were not considered a legal requirement but considered good practice.
Blog Preston contacted Abaseen to ask what improvements had been made since the inspection in January but did not receive either acknowledgement or a response.
A spokesperson for Preston City Council said: “The Commercial Regulatory Services team is continuing to work with Abaseen following their initial unannounced inspection in January 2026. Significant improvement has been made in general standards of hygiene, and we are close to achieving a high level of compliance with allergen labelling requirements.
“Compliance with these requirements is essential because it protects people with food allergies from serious — and sometimes life‑threatening — reactions. Clear, accurate information allows consumers to make informed choices and avoid ingredients that could harm them. When businesses work with Environmental Health they help reduce the likelihood of emergency incidents; protect their reputation; support public confidence in the food industry; and ensure that everyone can enjoy food safely.”
Abaseen still holds a one out of five food hygiene rating.
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