Smoking Lobster Cowes food hygiene rating

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 3 January 2025, 18 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.

Address: 127 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7AY

How it compares in Isle of Wight

That puts Smoking Lobster Cowes among the 1,042 places in Isle of Wight holding top marks, 70% 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 Isle of Wight

5 out of 5		1,042	70%	← Smoking Lobster Cowes
4 out of 5		261	18%
3 out of 5		139	9%
2 out of 5		30	2%
1 out of 5		6	<1%
0 out of 5		1	<1%

A further 208 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

• Hygienic food handling Good
• Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
• How well they manage food safety Good

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 Smoking Lobster Cowes 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.

Understanding this rating

• What does a 0 food hygiene rating mean? A 0 means the inspector found serious problems and urgent improvement is necessary. It is the lowest rating the scheme gives, but it is not a closure order, and a business with a 0 can, and usually does, keep trading while it puts things right.
• Does a low hygiene rating mean the food is unsafe? A low rating tells you that an inspector found problems on a particular day. It is not a measurement of the food, it is not a prediction, and it is not a verdict on whether you will get ill. It is the best single signal a member of the public has, and it is a snapshot.
• Does a business have to display its hygiene rating? It depends where you are. In Wales and Northern Ireland a food business must display its rating where you can read it before you go in. In England it is voluntary, a business there can legally show you nothing.

More food hygiene ratings near here

Smoking Lobster Cowes is one of 139 rated food businesses in Cowes. See every hygiene rating in Cowes →

Isle of Wight inspects and rates 1,687 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Isle of Wight →

The official record is held by the council: https://www.iow.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/community-protection-services/