5

The Old Thatch food hygiene rating

Other catering premises · Dorset

The Old Thatch holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the business met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 12 February 2026, 5 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: 285 Wimborne Road West, Ferndown, BH21 7NW

How it compares in Dorset

That puts The Old Thatch among the 3,813 places in Dorset holding top marks, 96% 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 3,813 96% ← The Old Thatch
4 out of 5 138 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 1,126 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 Old Thatch 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 Old Thatch, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Active Root Nutrition Retailers - other 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 19 February 2026
Brothers Farm Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 9 July 2026
Canford Crossing B&B Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 28 October 2024
Central Convenience Stores Retailers - other 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 16 December 2025
Greggs Takeaway/sandwich shop 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 10 September 2025
Ferndown Upper School (Catering) School/college/university 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 5 June 2026
Hampreston First School School/college/university 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 26 November 2024

Questions about The Old Thatch

What is The Old Thatch's food hygiene rating?

The Old Thatch has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Dorset Council on 12 February 2026.

Is The Old Thatch 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 business to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Old Thatch last inspected?

The Old Thatch was last inspected on 12 February 2026, 5 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 Old Thatch?

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 Old Thatch compare to other places in Dorset?

96% of the 3,992 rated food businesses in Dorset hold the top rating of 5, and The Old Thatch is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Dorset Council inspects The Old Thatch 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 Old Thatch 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 Old Thatch is one of 107 rated food businesses in Ferndown. See every hygiene rating in Ferndown

Dorset inspects and rates 5,118 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 →