Canterbury district food hygiene ratings, July 2026: 33 top scores and a clean sweep for the city centre, with one Herne Bay butcher below the top mark

Food safety inspectors rated 34 businesses across the Canterbury district in July, and every one of them except a Herne Bay butcher took the top score. 33 premises were rated 5, “very good”, under the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. The one exception was Broadway Butchers at 13 to 15 The Broadway in Herne Bay, rated 3, which the scheme defines as “generally satisfactory”. (Food Standards Agency, food hygiene ratings register)

The figures come from the FSA’s public register, which records every rating issued in the Canterbury City Council area. Ratings dated July 2026 were retrieved from the register on 6 August; results are added as the council publishes them, so a handful of late July inspections may still appear.

The one score below the top

Broadway Butchers Ltd, the butcher’s shop on The Broadway in Herne Bay, was inspected on 15 July and rated 3 out of 5. The register breaks that score into three parts: hygienic food handling was judged good, while the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building, and the management of food safety, were both judged generally satisfactory. (FSA register entry for Broadway Butchers)

A rating of 3 is a pass, not a failure; it means the inspector found standards broadly acceptable with room to improve. Businesses have a formal right of appeal against a rating, a right to reply that is published alongside the score, and a right to request a revisit for a new rating once improvements are made. No reply from Broadway Butchers appears on its register entry at the time of writing, and no new rating is pending.

A clean sweep in the city centre

Every Canterbury city centre business rated in July took a 5. Around the old town, PHO on Burgate, Zeus Greek Grill on Borough, Mister Miyagis Sushi on Orange Street, Yaki Seoul on St Dunstans Street and Bills Restaurant on Rose Lane all got top marks in the first week of the month, followed by OMAOMA on Mercery Lane and Siip Cafe on Guildhall Street on 9 July.

Out along Sturry Road, the takeaway cluster came through clean: Best Kebab And Pizza Time, USA Chicken And Pizza House and the Sturry Road Food Wagon in the B&Q car park were all rated 5, as were Big Boys Pizza in Wincheap and the Co-Op on Island Road in Sturry.

Herne Bay’s seafront huts and Whitstable’s clubs

On the Herne Bay seafront, the pier food traders kept their scores perfect: Lovebagelsxx at Retail Hut 15 on the pier and Tussanee Thai Food in the Pier Pavilion were both rated 5 on 10 July, the same day as the Co-op on Braid Drive. Beltinge Premier on Reculver Road followed with a 5 on 7 July.

In Whitstable, the Co-Op on Oxford Street and the Westbeach Clubhouse on Island Wall both scored 5, along with Chestfield Golf Club. Care settings across the district also came through well: Bradbury Grange care home on Canterbury Road in Whitstable, Blean Pre School in Blean Village Hall and Caretech Community Services at Kingston House were all rated 5.

What it means for you

The hygiene rating is the closest thing you get to seeing inside a kitchen before you order. A 5 means the inspector judged hygiene, the state of the building and the paperwork all up to standard on the day; a 3 means the basics were in place but something needs attention. Every rating in this article links to the business’s own entry on the official register, where you can check the latest score before you book a table or order a takeaway, since ratings can change after a reinspection at any time.

July’s near-perfect month is in line with the district’s overall picture: the register lists around 1,650 rated food businesses across Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay and the villages, and the large majority hold a 5. If you run a food business and think your rating is wrong, the FSA publishes how to appeal or request a revisit.

New ratings appear on the register throughout the month; we will report the August figures when they are published. For other practical local information, see our guides to bin collection days and planning applications in the district.