The Carpenters Arms food hygiene rating
Pub/bar/nightclub · Swale
The Carpenters Arms 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 25 July 2025, 11 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: Carpenters Arms, The Street, Eastling, ME13 0AZ
How it compares in Swale
In Swale, 83% of rated places manage a 5, so The Carpenters Arms sits behind roughly 1,123 nearby businesses. 3% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 989 | 83% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 134 | 11% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 41 | 3% | ← The Carpenters Arms | |
| 2 out of 5 | 6 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 13 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 3 | <1% |
A further 40 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 Good
- 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 Carpenters Arms 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 Carpenters Arms, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterlink At Eastling Primary School School/college/university | 405 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 October 2024 |
| The Tea Rooms And Main Kitchen Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 1.2 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 May 2025 |
| Doddington Place Gardens Tearoom Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 1.3 miles away | 4 - Good | 17 April 2026 |
| Infiniti School School/college/university | 1.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 November 2022 |
| The Chequers Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | 1.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 March 2025 |
| S W Doughty Retailers - other | 1.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 August 2024 |
| The Alma Pub/bar/nightclub | 2.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 May 2026 |
| Lorenden Preparatory School School/college/university | 2.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 18 November 2024 |
Questions about The Carpenters Arms
What is The Carpenters Arms's food hygiene rating?
The Carpenters Arms has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Swale Council on 25 July 2025.
Is The Carpenters Arms 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 Carpenters Arms last inspected?
The Carpenters Arms was last inspected on 25 July 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Swale Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Carpenters Arms?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", 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 Carpenters Arms compare to other places in Swale?
83% of the 1,186 rated food businesses in Swale hold the top rating of 5, while The Carpenters Arms holds a 3. 41 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Swale Council inspects The Carpenters Arms 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 Carpenters Arms and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Swale inspects and rates 1,226 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Swale →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.swale.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 →