Royal Fortescue Hotel food hygiene rating

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 26 November 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: 61 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1HG

How it compares in North Devon

That puts Royal Fortescue Hotel among the 1,107 places in North Devon holding top marks, 84% 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 North Devon

5 out of 5		1,107	84%	← Royal Fortescue Hotel
4 out of 5		129	10%
3 out of 5		42	3%
2 out of 5		15	1%
1 out of 5		21	2%
0 out of 5		3	<1%

A further 150 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 Good
• 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 Royal Fortescue 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.

Understanding this rating

• What does a 0 food hygiene rating mean? A 0 means the inspector found serious problems and urgent improvement is necessary. It is the lowest rating the scheme gives, but it is not a closure order, and a business with a 0 can, and usually does, keep trading while it puts things right.
• Does a low hygiene rating mean the food is unsafe? A low rating tells you that an inspector found problems on a particular day. It is not a measurement of the food, it is not a prediction, and it is not a verdict on whether you will get ill. It is the best single signal a member of the public has, and it is a snapshot.
• Does a business have to display its hygiene rating? It depends where you are. In Wales and Northern Ireland a food business must display its rating where you can read it before you go in. In England it is voluntary, a business there can legally show you nothing.

More food hygiene ratings near here

Royal Fortescue Hotel is one of 413 rated food businesses in Barnstaple. See every hygiene rating in Barnstaple →

North Devon inspects and rates 1,467 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in North Devon →

The official record is held by the council: http://www.northdevon.gov.uk