Winchester Food Hygiene Ratings: 55 of 59 Score 5 in Sept

Winchester City Council published 59 food hygiene ratings for September, and 55 of them were the top score of 5. Three premises got a 4. One pub, The Dolphin in Hursley, was rated 2.

Across the whole district, 89.0% of rated food premises now hold a 5. That is the second highest share of seven neighbouring councils, just behind Havant.

The figures come from the Food Standards Agency ratings register, downloaded this morning. The latest September rating on it is dated 18 September. The register only keeps each premises’ latest rating.

One caution. Ratings of 0 to 4 are published three to five weeks after the inspection, to leave time for an appeal. A 5 can appear sooner. So some lower September ratings may not be on the register yet.

The one rated 2

The Dolphin on Main Road, Hursley, about five miles south-west of Winchester, was inspected on 3 September and rated 2, which means “improvement necessary”.

The register breaks the score into three parts:

• Hygienic food handling: good
• Cleanliness and condition of the building: improvement necessary
• Management of food safety: generally satisfactory

So the main problem recorded was the building, not how food was handled. Businesses can appeal a rating, ask for a re-inspection once they have made improvements, and publish a right to reply on the register.

The three rated 4

• The Bugle Inn, Park Lane, Twyford, inspected 2 September
• Turtle Bay, St George’s Street, Winchester, inspected 2 September
• The Hunters Inn, Cott Street, Swanmore, inspected 3 September

A 4 means “good”.

Rated 5 in September

Eighteen of the 55 scored “very good” on all three parts of the inspection: food handling, the building, and food safety management. They are marked with an asterisk.

Nine of the 5s went to boarding houses at Winchester College, all inspected on 10 September. Three home-based or mobile businesses with no published address are left out of the tables below.

Restaurants, pubs, cafes and takeaways

Schools, nurseries and care homes

Shops and food producers

How the district compares

The register lists 1,184 Winchester district premises. Of the 1,077 with a rating from 0 to 5, 959 are rated 5.

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Winchester’s full breakdown is 959 rated 5, 91 rated 4, 17 rated 3, 4 rated 2 and 6 rated 1. None is rated 0. A further 72 premises are waiting for a first inspection and 35 are exempt. The shares above leave both groups out.

What it means for you

• Check before you book. Every premises above links to its own page on the FSA register, with the date of its last inspection.
• A 5 is the norm here. Nine in ten rated premises in the district hold one, so anything lower is worth a second look.
• Look at the breakdown, not just the number. The Dolphin’s 2 came mainly from the building’s condition; its food handling was marked good.
• Ratings change. A business can ask for a re-inspection, so a low score today may not last.

For more on the city, see our Winchester planning news and things to do in Winchester.