The Laughing Fish food hygiene rating
Pub/bar/nightclub · Wealden
The Laughing Fish holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The pub met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 23 May 2025, 13 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: Laughing Fish Station Road, Isfield, TN22 5XB
How it compares in Wealden
In Wealden, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so The Laughing Fish sits behind roughly 1,231 nearby businesses. 5% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,013 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 218 | 17% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 71 | 5% | ← The Laughing Fish | |
| 2 out of 5 | 2 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 4 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 54 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
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 Laughing Fish 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 Laughing Fish, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavenders Tearoom Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 35 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 June 2025 |
| Smithers Barn Cookery School Ltd Other catering premises | 240 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 June 2025 |
| Isfield Farm Shop Retailers - other | 261 yards away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 28 November 2025 |
| The Halfway House Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 20 March 2025 |
| The Anchor Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 May 2026 |
Questions about The Laughing Fish
What is The Laughing Fish's food hygiene rating?
The Laughing Fish has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Wealden Council on 23 May 2025.
Is The Laughing Fish safe to eat at?
A 3 means the pub met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was The Laughing Fish last inspected?
The Laughing Fish was last inspected on 23 May 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Wealden Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Laughing Fish?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Laughing Fish compare to other places in Wealden?
77% of the 1,308 rated food businesses in Wealden hold the top rating of 5, while The Laughing Fish holds a 3. 71 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Wealden Council inspects The Laughing Fish 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 Laughing Fish and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Wealden inspects and rates 1,362 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Wealden →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.wealden.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 →