5

The Royal Oak food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Somerset

The Royal Oak holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the pub met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 20 February 2025, 16 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: Over Stratton Road, South Petherton, TA13 5LQ

How it compares in Somerset

That puts The Royal Oak among the 4,825 places in Somerset holding top marks, 87% of everywhere the council rates. A 5 is the norm here rather than the exception, so it is the rating to expect, not to be impressed by.

Every rated food business in Somerset
5 out of 5 4,825 87% ← The Royal Oak
4 out of 5 541 10%
3 out of 5 92 2%
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 The Royal Oak 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 The Royal Oak, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
New Farm Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 114 yards away 5 - Very good 14 March 2024
Sunshine Morning Nursery Caring Premises 328 yards away 5 - Very good 29 March 2022
Mobile Fruit & Veg Retailers - other 0.3 miles away 4 - Good 6 May 2022
Asda Express PFS South Petherton Retailers - other 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 10 October 2022
Greggs (Asda Stores Limited) Retailers - other 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 17 April 2025
South Petherton After School Club School/college/university 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 16 January 2025
Honey Pot Farm Manufacturers/packers 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 10 October 2022
West Down Orchard Retailers - other 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 1 March 2023

Questions about The Royal Oak

What is The Royal Oak's food hygiene rating?

The Royal Oak has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Somerset Council on 20 February 2025.

Is The Royal Oak safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 5 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Royal Oak last inspected?

The Royal Oak was last inspected on 20 February 2025, 16 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 The Royal Oak?

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

How does The Royal Oak compare to other places in Somerset?

87% of the 5,515 rated food businesses in Somerset hold the top rating of 5, and The Royal Oak is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Somerset Council inspects The Royal Oak 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 The Royal Oak and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

The Royal Oak is one of 47 rated food businesses in South Petherton. See every hygiene rating in South Petherton

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 →