Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit food hygiene rating
Retailers - other · Hillingdon
Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the shop and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 27 March 2026, 3 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: Pond Farm, Newyears Green Lane, UB9 6LX
How it compares in Hillingdon
A 1 is rare: only 100 of 2,007 rated places in Hillingdon score this low, about one in 20. By contrast 64% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,285 | 64% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 356 | 18% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 202 | 10% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 48 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 100 | 5% | ← Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit | |
| 0 out of 5 | 16 | 1% |
A further 226 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Improvement necessary
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled, the condition of the premises and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakspear Arms Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 March 2026 |
| Breakspear Buddies - Breakfast & Afterschool Club School/college/university | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2025 |
| BP Ruislip Connect Retailers - other | 1.0 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 June 2025 |
| Bishop Winnington Ingram CofE Primary School School/college/university | 1.1 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 November 2024 |
| Browns Ruislip Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 1.1 miles away | 5 - Very good | 24 September 2024 |
| Burgerbey Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 1.2 miles away | 5 - Very good | 11 March 2026 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 1.2 miles away | 5 - Very good | 24 February 2026 |
| Co-Op Retailers - other | 1.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 17 January 2018 |
Questions about Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit
What is Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit's food hygiene rating?
Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Hillingdon Council on 27 March 2026.
Is Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The shop is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit last inspected?
Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit was last inspected on 27 March 2026, 3 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Hillingdon Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit compare to other places in Hillingdon?
64% of the 2,007 rated food businesses in Hillingdon hold the top rating of 5, while Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit holds a 1. 100 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Hillingdon Council inspects Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit 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 Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Hillingdon, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Hillingdon
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Pond Farm Cafe; Covent Garden Buffet Co; Coven Garden Fruit is one of 47 rated food businesses in Harefield. See every hygiene rating in Harefield →
Hillingdon inspects and rates 2,233 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Hillingdon →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/foodsafety
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 →