The Poet At Matfield food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Tunbridge Wells
The Poet At Matfield holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant 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 6 July 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.
94% of rated food businesses in Tunbridge Wells score 4 or 5, so this is a normal, good result for the area. See all Tunbridge Wells ratings →
Address: Maidstone Road, Matfield, Tonbridge, TN12 7JH
⚠️ The lowest-rated places near The Poet At Matfield
These food businesses close to this one were rated 0 to 2 at their last inspection, the lowest ratings. Tap any to see why.
How this rating has changed
The Poet At Matfield has gone backwards: it held a 5 before its inspection on 6 July 2026, and now holds a 4.
| Inspected | Rating | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 6 July 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 Tunbridge Wells
In Tunbridge Wells, 83% of rated places manage a 5, so The Poet At Matfield sits behind roughly 866 nearby businesses. 11% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 866 | 83% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 119 | 11% | ← The Poet At Matfield | |
| 3 out of 5 | 43 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 8 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 7 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 38 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 Poet At Matfield 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 Poet At Matfield, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Star Pub/bar/nightclub | 139 yards away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 28 August 2025 |
| Hammonds Butchers Retailers - other | 361 yards away | 5 - Very good | 2 March 2026 |
| Caterlink Ltd At Brenchley And Matfield CofE Primary School School/college/university | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 May 2025 |
| Newton Lang Childcare After School Club School/college/university | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 28 July 2020 |
| The Hopbine Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.6 miles away | 2 - Some improvement necessary | 22 July 2026 |
| Brenchley Pre School Caring Premises | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 May 2022 |
| Grays Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 April 2025 |
| Little Birches Brenchley Caring Premises | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 21 February 2025 |
Questions about The Poet At Matfield
What is The Poet At Matfield's food hygiene rating?
The Poet At Matfield has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Tunbridge Wells Council on 6 July 2026.
Is The Poet At Matfield 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 restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Poet At Matfield last inspected?
The Poet At Matfield was last inspected on 6 July 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Tunbridge Wells Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Poet At Matfield?
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 Poet At Matfield compare to other places in Tunbridge Wells?
83% of the 1,043 rated food businesses in Tunbridge Wells hold the top rating of 5, while The Poet At Matfield holds a 4. 119 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Tunbridge Wells Council inspects The Poet At Matfield 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 Poet At Matfield and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
The Poet At Matfield is one of 78 rated food businesses in Tonbridge. See every hygiene rating in Tonbridge →
Tunbridge Wells inspects and rates 1,081 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Tunbridge Wells →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.tunbridgewells.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 →