THE former owner of an award-winning Lake District delicatessen facing a string of hygiene offences has chosen to have her case heard at crown court.

Lucy Nicholson, who ran Lucy’s of Ambleside until it closed earlier this year, appeared at South Lakeland Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to answer 30 charges.

Her solicitor Annette Shaw, of Farley’s solicitors, gave no indication of plea, and Mrs Nicholson told magistrates she did not want proceedings to go ahead at the Kendal court.

She will return on September 27 when the case will be committed to Carlisle Crown Court.

The charges relate to three separate visits to her premises by South Lakeland District Council health inspectors last year on July 15, August 16 and September 7.

It is alleged they found cooking equipment was not being kept clean, including grease-caked ovens, grills, hobs and microwaves.

The health inspectors also allege that they discovered a tub of mouldy hummus in a fridge and a sweet and sour pork dish cooling on an open window close to a dirty fan covered in mould and grease.

They also claim to have spotted that brie and fish pate was not being kept at the right temperature, which could have led to bacteria growth, and an open packet of out of date duck breast and chicken pate were in fridges.

Lucy’s of Ambleside closed in February after it was forced into liquidation following a trading slump.

At the time Mrs Nicholson said it felt like there had been a ‘death in the family’ and blamed a mixture of factors for the company’s failure, including a weak economic climate, an increase in online shopping, petrol costs, reduced visitor numbers and pressure from the financial institutions.

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