5

Crafty Bear Kitchen food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Braintree

Crafty Bear Kitchen 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 22 October 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: Blue Post House, 128 Newland Street, Witham, CM8 1BA

How it compares in Braintree

That puts Crafty Bear Kitchen among the 980 places in Braintree holding top marks, 85% 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 Braintree
5 out of 5 980 85% ← Crafty Bear Kitchen
4 out of 5 125 11%
3 out of 5 34 3%
2 out of 5 8 1%
1 out of 5 9 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 111 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 Crafty Bear Kitchen 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 Crafty Bear Kitchen, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Ifraaz Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 23 yards away 5 - Very good 23 April 2026
Bubblescape Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 26 yards away 5 - Very good 6 February 2024
Astare Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 200 yards away 5 - Very good 2 June 2026
Shampers Wine And Cheese Pub/bar/nightclub 200 yards away 5 - Very good 28 February 2025
Park View Caring Premises 210 yards away 5 - Very good 11 August 2025
Prezzo Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 220 yards away 5 - Very good 14 January 2025
Lidl Retailers - other 271 yards away 5 - Very good 30 September 2024
AKA Restaurant & Lounge Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 303 yards away 5 - Very good 9 August 2024

Questions about Crafty Bear Kitchen

What is Crafty Bear Kitchen's food hygiene rating?

Crafty Bear Kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Braintree Council on 22 October 2025.

Is Crafty Bear Kitchen 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 Crafty Bear Kitchen last inspected?

Crafty Bear Kitchen was last inspected on 22 October 2025, 8 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Braintree Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Crafty Bear Kitchen?

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 Crafty Bear Kitchen compare to other places in Braintree?

85% of the 1,156 rated food businesses in Braintree hold the top rating of 5, and Crafty Bear Kitchen is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Braintree Council inspects Crafty Bear Kitchen 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 Crafty Bear Kitchen and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Crafty Bear Kitchen is one of 170 rated food businesses in Witham. See every hygiene rating in Witham

Braintree inspects and rates 1,267 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Braintree

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