Ratings below 5 reach the register weeks late. August's full list now has two 2s, at a Herne Bay grill and a Whitstable Tesco cafe, plus eight 3s.
Two Canterbury district food businesses were rated 2, “improvement necessary”, in August: a grill on Herne Bay High Street and the Tesco cafe at Whitstable. Neither rating was on the public register when we reported August’s figures on 1 September.
That is because of how the scheme works. Under the Food Standards Agency’s guidance for businesses, a 5 is published as soon as it is uploaded. A rating from 0 to 4 is published three to five weeks after the inspection, to leave time for an appeal.
So a month’s ratings always look perfect at first. On 1 September the register held 30 August ratings, all 5s. It now holds 59, including two 2s, eight 3s and five 4s. The 26 ratings dated September so far are all 5s for the same reason, and we will not know how September really went until late October.
All figures come from the Food Standards Agency’s food hygiene rating register for the Canterbury City Council area, read on 25 September.
The two August ratings of 2
A 2 means “improvement necessary”. The register scores three areas, and a lower score is better.
| Business | Where | Inspected | Hygiene | Structure | Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Charcoal Grill & Pizza | High Street, Herne Bay | 5 August | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| Tesco Cafe | Millstrood Road, Whitstable | 10 August | 5 | 15 | 5 |
At both, the weakest score was for the premises: the FSA groups the cleanliness and condition of the building, its layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control under that heading. At the Tesco cafe, food handling and management scored well.
The August 3s
A 3 is “generally satisfactory”, a pass. These eight were rated 3 in August:
- Lazy Lobster at the Prince Albert, Sea Street, Whitstable, 3 August
- The King Ethelbert Inn, Reculver Lane, Herne Bay, 4 August
- Jeb Fruit And Veg, mobile trader, St George’s Street, Canterbury, 5 August
- Kashmir Tandoori, Palace Street, Canterbury, 5 August
- Masala Gate, Northgate, Canterbury, 5 August
- Gills Cafe And Deli, The Goods Shed, Canterbury, 12 August
- North Downs Honey, producer, CT4, 13 August
- Four Seasons Take Away, Canterbury Road, Whitstable, 19 August
September’s 5s so far
These 26 businesses were rated 5 between 2 and 16 September. Any lower ratings from the same weeks are not yet public.
Canterbury
- House Of Agnes, The Coffee Corner and Sainsbury’s, all on St Dunstan’s Street
- Notorious BRG, St Margaret’s Street
- Amorino and Mr Simms Sweetshop, The Parade
- Wilding Eatery, Mercery Lane
- The Sun Hotel, trading as El Sol, Sun Street
- DSL Delight Store and Transylvanian Grocers, Northgate
- The Archbishops School and St Stephens Junior School
Herne Bay
- Co-Op, Sea Street
- Saxon Shore, Central Parade
- Age UK, Reculver Road
- Windchimes Resource Centre and Snaap at the same Reynolds Close site
- Herne Bay Junior School canteen
Whitstable
- The Arches Club, Oxford Street
- Whitstable Bowling Club, Tower Hill
- Juniors At Holdens, High Street
- Stern Slices, Harbour Market
- The Village Store, Alberta Caravan Park
- The Sins You Love, caterer, CT5
Villages
- Wickhambreaux School Breakfast Club, at the village hall
- Cooks Club at Elham Valley Vineyard, Barham
The district as a whole
The register holds 1,655 food premises in the Canterbury City Council area. Of those:
- 1,151 hold a 5, which is 69.5 per cent
- 187 hold a 4 and 121 hold a 3
- 26 hold a rating of 2 or below: 24 rated 2, one rated 1 and one rated 0
- 79 are awaiting inspection and 91 are exempt
What it means for you
- Check the current score, not an old one. Ratings change after every reinspection, and each business named here links to its own register entry.
- Give the register a month. Ratings below 5 appear three to five weeks after the inspection, so a recent-looking list of 5s is not the whole story. We will report September’s full picture once it has settled.
- If you run a food business, you can appeal a rating, have a right of reply published beside it, and ask for a revisit once improvements are made. The FSA explains how to appeal or request a revisit. Neither business rated 2 had a reply published on its register entry when we checked.
Sources
- Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating register, Canterbury City Council area (authority 250), all entries read through the FSA’s open data API on 25 September 2026
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