5

Penny Blacks food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Cheltenham

Penny Blacks holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the restaurant met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 6 November 2025, 8 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: Prestbury Post Office, 6 High Street, Prestbury, GL52 3AS

How it compares in Cheltenham

That puts Penny Blacks among the 909 places in Cheltenham holding top marks, 89% 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 Cheltenham
5 out of 5 909 89% ← Penny Blacks
4 out of 5 88 9%
3 out of 5 16 2%
2 out of 5 2 <1%
1 out of 5 4 <1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 59 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 Penny Blacks 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 Penny Blacks, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Capel Court Caring Premises 196 yards away 5 - Very good 12 May 2025
Bay Tree Court Caring Premises 226 yards away 5 - Very good 25 March 2026
Abbeyfield Wessex Society Limited Caring Premises 312 yards away 5 - Very good 29 January 2026
Caterlink Limited At Oakwood Primary School School/college/university 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 20 October 2025
Busy Bees At Cheltenham Prestbury Road Caring Premises 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 10 June 2025
Aspire Foundation Other catering premises 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 20 June 2025
Battledown Centre For Children And Families School/college/university 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 16 September 2024

Questions about Penny Blacks

What is Penny Blacks's food hygiene rating?

Penny Blacks has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Cheltenham Council on 6 November 2025.

Is Penny Blacks 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 restaurant to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was Penny Blacks last inspected?

Penny Blacks was last inspected on 6 November 2025, 8 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Cheltenham Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Penny Blacks?

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

How does Penny Blacks compare to other places in Cheltenham?

89% of the 1,019 rated food businesses in Cheltenham hold the top rating of 5, and Penny Blacks is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Cheltenham Council inspects Penny Blacks 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 Penny Blacks and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Cheltenham inspects and rates 1,078 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Cheltenham

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