The Smiley Chef food hygiene rating
Mobile caterer · Cherwell
The Smiley Chef holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the mobile caterer 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 22 June 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.
92% of rated food businesses in Cherwell score 4 or 5, so this is a normal, good result for the area. See all Cherwell ratings →
Address: Banbury Cricket Club White Post Road, Bodicote, OX15 4BN
How this rating has changed
The Smiley Chef has gone backwards: it held a 5 before its inspection on 22 June 2026, and now holds a 4.
| Inspected | Rating | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 22 June 2026 | 5 4 | Worse |
The FSA publishes only a business's current rating. This history is our own record of what it has scored since we began watching.
How it compares in Cherwell
In Cherwell, 80% of rated places manage a 5, so The Smiley Chef sits behind roughly 986 nearby businesses. 12% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 986 | 80% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 150 | 12% | ← The Smiley Chef | |
| 3 out of 5 | 67 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 14 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 6 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 110 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling 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 Smiley Chef 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 Smiley Chef, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler’s Catering Service’s Other catering premises | at this address | 5 - Very good | 16 October 2024 |
| Asda Express PFS Banbury Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 October 2017 |
| Cotswold Dining t/a Farm & Table Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 27 May 2026 |
| Chasewell Playgroup Caring Premises | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 28 February 2023 |
| Banbury Lodge Caring Premises | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 28 October 2024 |
| Blessed George Napier School School/college/university | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 July 2026 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 December 2025 |
| All The Good Stuff Ltd Other catering premises | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 January 2025 |
Questions about The Smiley Chef
What is The Smiley Chef's food hygiene rating?
The Smiley Chef has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Cherwell Council on 22 June 2026.
Is The Smiley Chef 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 mobile caterer to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Smiley Chef last inspected?
The Smiley Chef was last inspected on 22 June 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Cherwell Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Smiley Chef?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "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 Smiley Chef compare to other places in Cherwell?
80% of the 1,225 rated food businesses in Cherwell hold the top rating of 5, while The Smiley Chef holds a 4. 150 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Cherwell Council inspects The Smiley Chef 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 Smiley Chef 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 Smiley Chef is one of 16 rated food businesses in Bodicote. See every hygiene rating in Bodicote →
Cherwell inspects and rates 1,335 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Cherwell →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.cherwell.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 →