5

The Dusty Barrel food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · New Forest

The Dusty Barrel 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 13 June 2025, 13 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: 5 Pylewell Road, Hythe, SO45 6AP

How it compares in New Forest

That puts The Dusty Barrel among the 1,153 places in New Forest holding top marks, 80% 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 New Forest
5 out of 5 1,153 80% ← The Dusty Barrel
4 out of 5 183 13%
3 out of 5 69 5%
2 out of 5 6 <1%
1 out of 5 23 2%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

A further 138 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 Dusty Barrel 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 Dusty Barrel, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Black Wax Coffee and Records Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 95 yards away 5 - Very good 5 June 2025
Amalfi Restaurant & Pizzeria Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 99 yards away 5 - Very good 15 July 2025
BE-Be's Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 120 yards away 5 - Very good 24 March 2026
Admirals Quarters Takeaway/sandwich shop 140 yards away 5 - Very good 14 May 2025
Adam's Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 241 yards away 5 - Very good 25 November 2024
Boathouse Hotel Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 9 February 2026
Carpathia Grange Care Home Caring Premises 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 28 March 2025

Questions about The Dusty Barrel

What is The Dusty Barrel's food hygiene rating?

The Dusty Barrel has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by New Forest Council on 13 June 2025.

Is The Dusty Barrel 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 Dusty Barrel last inspected?

The Dusty Barrel was last inspected on 13 June 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by New Forest Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Dusty Barrel?

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

How does The Dusty Barrel compare to other places in New Forest?

80% of the 1,435 rated food businesses in New Forest hold the top rating of 5, and The Dusty Barrel is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

New Forest Council inspects The Dusty Barrel 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 Dusty Barrel 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 Dusty Barrel is one of 63 rated food businesses in Hythe. See every hygiene rating in Hythe

New Forest inspects and rates 1,573 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in New Forest

The official record is held by the council: http://www.newforest.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 →