PORK almost three years out of date and mouldy moon cakes were among the hygiene horrors found hiding in an East Oxford Asian bakery.

Inspectors from Oxford City Council's health team visited Rachel's in June and gave the St Clement's business two stars.

It marks a further slip in standards for the bakery, which was rated the top score of five in January 2016 before moving down to three stars the following December.

A report raised concerns with food found long past it's expiration date as well as the cleanliness of the kitchen.

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It said: "I found one pack of out of date vacuum packed pork stored in the refrigerator, it was marked with a Best Before date of September, 2016.

"This was voluntarily disposed at the time of inspection."

It added: "A container of moon cakes, some with mould evident, were also voluntarily disposed at the time of inspection."

On the condition of the kitchen and washing facilities inspectors criticised a 'dark brown cloth towel' used for hand drying and described the condition of fridge doors and door of the food store as 'filthy'.

Other parts of the bakery were found to be 'defective' and 'dirty'.

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The report stated: "At the time of inspection the standard of cleaning was poor with accumulations evident behind equipment and throughout the kitchen and food store."

A statement from Rachel's said it was working to address the issues raised, adding: "We are taking actions in accordance to the advices from the hygiene inspector and are confident of receiving a top score for the next inspection."

The bakery's website claims it offers freshly made sandwiches 'generously filled with mouth-watering ingredients'.

It adds: “Our bakery products are made from scratch in Rachel’s kitchen and bake in few small batches to make sure they are at their best.

“Coffee is hand crafted by our trained baristas and our range of cold drinks are plentiful.”

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Despite the poor rating the bakery, which opened in August 2014, also has rave reviews on review website Tripadvisor.

One recent customer wrote: "I straight up love this place."

They added: "This place is quiet, the staff are friendly and it is simple in its decor.

"While it doesn't seem anything special it is one of those little gems which remains unapologetic for simply being what it is - delicious every day food."

Another said: "Been visiting Rachel's for nearly 4 years...so worth the journey and we save up for this special occasion."