The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Somerset
The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club 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 16 June 2025, 12 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: The Balsam Centre, Balsam Park, Wincanton, BA9 9HB
How it compares in Somerset
That puts The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club among the 4,825 places in Somerset holding top marks, 88% 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.
| 5 out of 5 | 4,825 | 88% | ← The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 539 | 10% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 93 | 2% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 26 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 30 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 558 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 The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club 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 Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conkers Nursery Caring Premises | at this address | 4 - Good | 5 December 2025 |
| C&J Quality Meats Retailers - other | 128 yards away | 1 - Major improvement necessary | 10 April 2026 |
| MHA Community's Other catering premises | 228 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 January 2026 |
| The Dolphin Hotel (Wincanton) Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 232 yards away | 4 - Good | 28 May 2026 |
| Wincanton Tandoori Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 232 yards away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 19 February 2026 |
| The Good Stuff Community Cafe and FoodBank Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 248 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 June 2026 |
| S & B Cinemas Limited Retailers - other | 256 yards away | 4 - Good | 17 February 2026 |
| Wincawel Tap n Spile Pub/bar/nightclub | 257 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 December 2025 |
Questions about The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club
What is The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club's food hygiene rating?
The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Somerset Council on 16 June 2025.
Is The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club 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 The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club last inspected?
The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club was last inspected on 16 June 2025, 12 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Somerset Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club?
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 Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club compare to other places in Somerset?
88% of the 5,513 rated food businesses in Somerset hold the top rating of 5, and The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club is one of them.
Who decides the rating?
Somerset Council inspects The Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club 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 Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club 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 Balsam Centre Chat Cafe & HAF Club is one of 89 rated food businesses in Wincanton. See every hygiene rating in Wincanton →
Somerset inspects and rates 6,071 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Somerset →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.somerset.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 →