The Secret Garden food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Babergh
The Secret Garden holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 7 January 2026, 6 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: 17 Friars Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2AA
How it compares in Babergh
In Babergh, 86% of rated places manage a 5, so The Secret Garden sits behind roughly 696 nearby businesses. 8% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 696 | 86% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 65 | 8% | ← The Secret Garden | |
| 3 out of 5 | 27 | 3% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 8 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 74 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Very good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- 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 The Secret Garden 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 Secret Garden, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| David's Delicatessen Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 90 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 May 2025 |
| Lara Meze and Grill Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 113 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 January 2026 |
| Davids Bistro and Wine Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 114 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 May 2025 |
| Colemans Butchers Retailers - other | 145 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 June 2025 |
| Colemans Butchers Retailers - other | 145 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 June 2025 |
| Mr T Chambers Village Foods Mobile caterer | 145 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 January 2026 |
| Mr T Chambers Village Foods Mobile caterer | 145 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 January 2026 |
| Painters at the Angel Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 166 yards away | 5 - Very good | 28 April 2026 |
Questions about The Secret Garden
What is The Secret Garden's food hygiene rating?
The Secret Garden has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Babergh Council on 7 January 2026.
Is The Secret Garden safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Secret Garden last inspected?
The Secret Garden was last inspected on 7 January 2026, 6 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Babergh Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Secret Garden?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Secret Garden compare to other places in Babergh?
86% of the 807 rated food businesses in Babergh hold the top rating of 5, while The Secret Garden holds a 4. 65 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Babergh Council inspects The Secret Garden 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 Secret Garden 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 Secret Garden is one of 308 rated food businesses in Sudbury. See every hygiene rating in Sudbury →
Babergh inspects and rates 881 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Babergh →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.babergh.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 →