3

The Black Horse food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Bolton

The Black Horse holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The pub met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.

The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory

The rating dates from 11 December 2024, 19 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: 59a Higher Market Street, Farnworth, BL4 8HQ

How it compares in Bolton

In Bolton, 55% of rated places manage a 5, so The Black Horse sits behind roughly 1,696 nearby businesses. 14% of the borough shares its 3.

Every rated food business in Bolton
5 out of 5 1,220 55%
4 out of 5 476 22%
3 out of 5 315 14% ← The Black Horse
2 out of 5 76 3%
1 out of 5 103 5%
0 out of 5 10 <1%

A further 186 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 Black Horse 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 Black Horse, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Asda Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 18 March 2026
Asda Express PFS Parkview Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 20 April 2026
American Fried Chicken Takeaway/sandwich shop 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 25 April 2023
Age Concern Other catering premises 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 20 April 2026
Bridgewater Hotel Pub/bar/nightclub 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 10 May 2018
Butty-licious Retailers - other 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 28 July 2025
Azure Gaze Convenience Store Retailers - other 0.9 miles away 5 - Very good 13 January 2026

Questions about The Black Horse

What is The Black Horse's food hygiene rating?

The Black Horse has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Bolton Council on 11 December 2024.

Is The Black Horse safe to eat at?

A 3 means the pub met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.

When was The Black Horse last inspected?

The Black Horse was last inspected on 11 December 2024, 19 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Bolton Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Black Horse?

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

How does The Black Horse compare to other places in Bolton?

55% of the 2,200 rated food businesses in Bolton hold the top rating of 5, while The Black Horse holds a 3. 315 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Bolton Council inspects The Black Horse 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 Black Horse 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 →

Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

The Black Horse is one of 186 rated food businesses in Farnworth. See every hygiene rating in Farnworth

Bolton inspects and rates 2,386 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Bolton

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