3

Volunteer Inn food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Somerset

Volunteer Inn holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The pub met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.

The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory

The rating dates from 13 February 2025, 17 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.

Address: Old A303, Seavington St Michael, TA19 0QE

How it compares in Somerset

In Somerset, 87% of rated places manage a 5, so Volunteer Inn sits behind roughly 5,366 nearby businesses. 2% of the borough shares its 3.

Every rated food business in Somerset
5 out of 5 4,825 87%
4 out of 5 541 10%
3 out of 5 92 2% ← Volunteer Inn
2 out of 5 26 <1%
1 out of 5 31 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 557 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Volunteer Inn none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.

Food hygiene ratings nearby

The closest food businesses to Volunteer Inn, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Seavington Village Store Retailers - other 386 yards away 5 - Very good 8 January 2025
The Railway Carriage Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.9 miles away 5 - Very good 30 January 2025
Trading Post Farm Shop Retailers - other 0.9 miles away 5 - Very good 16 December 2025
Lopen Raj Taunton Buffet Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.9 miles away 3 - Generally satisfactory 2 June 2026
West Down Orchard Retailers - other 0.9 miles away 5 - Very good 1 March 2023

Questions about Volunteer Inn

What is Volunteer Inn's food hygiene rating?

Volunteer Inn has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Somerset Council on 13 February 2025.

Is Volunteer Inn safe to eat at?

A 3 means the pub met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.

When was Volunteer Inn last inspected?

Volunteer Inn was last inspected on 13 February 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Somerset Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Volunteer Inn?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does Volunteer Inn compare to other places in Somerset?

87% of the 5,515 rated food businesses in Somerset hold the top rating of 5, while Volunteer Inn holds a 3. 92 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Somerset Council inspects Volunteer Inn and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.

Tell me when this changes

The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Volunteer Inn and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Volunteer Inn is one of 21 rated food businesses in Ilminster Somerset. See every hygiene rating in Ilminster Somerset

Somerset inspects and rates 6,072 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Somerset

The official record is held by the council: http://www.somerset.gov.uk

Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →