5

The Red Lion Hotel food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Dorset

The Red Lion Hotel holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the pub met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 22 April 2026, 2 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: Red Lion Hotel Dorchester Road, Winfrith Newburgh, DT2 8LE

How it compares in Dorset

That puts The Red Lion Hotel among the 3,808 places in Dorset holding top marks, 95% 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 Dorset
5 out of 5 3,808 95% ← The Red Lion Hotel
4 out of 5 139 3%
3 out of 5 33 1%
2 out of 5 5 <1%
1 out of 5 3 <1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 1,119 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 Red Lion Hotel 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 Red Lion Hotel, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
The Countryman Pub/bar/nightclub 0.4 miles away 4 - Good 25 September 2025
Lets do Lunch at Winfrith Newburgh Village Hall Pub/bar/nightclub 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 20 May 2026
Chartwells @ Lulworth & Winfrith Primary School School/college/university 0.4 miles away 4 - Good 13 November 2024
Jurassic Coast Fine Foods Ltd Manufacturers/packers 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 6 March 2025
Fives Food Mobile caterer 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 31 July 2025
Nutley Farm Mobile caterer 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 12 November 2025

Questions about The Red Lion Hotel

What is The Red Lion Hotel's food hygiene rating?

The Red Lion Hotel has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Dorset Council on 22 April 2026.

Is The Red Lion Hotel 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 pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Red Lion Hotel last inspected?

The Red Lion Hotel was last inspected on 22 April 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dorset Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Red Lion Hotel?

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 The Red Lion Hotel compare to other places in Dorset?

95% of the 3,988 rated food businesses in Dorset hold the top rating of 5, and The Red Lion Hotel is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Dorset Council inspects The Red Lion Hotel 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 Red Lion Hotel and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Dorset inspects and rates 5,107 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dorset

The official record is held by the council: https://www.dorsetcouncil.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 →