The Half Moon food hygiene rating
Pub/bar/nightclub · Dorset
The Half Moon holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the pub 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 10 December 2024, 19 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.
Address: The Half Moon Inn Salisbury Road, Shaftesbury, SP7 8BS
How it compares in Dorset
In Dorset, 95% of rated places manage a 5, so The Half Moon sits behind roughly 3,808 nearby businesses. 3% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 3,808 | 95% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 139 | 3% | ← The Half Moon | |
| 3 out of 5 | 33 | 1% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 3 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 1,119 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 Half Moon 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 Half Moon, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food Mobile caterer | at this address | 5 - Very good | 19 May 2022 |
| St Denis Lodge Ltd Caring Premises | at this address | 5 - Very good | 2 July 2025 |
| Royal Chase Hotel Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 426 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 September 2025 |
| Spar Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 2 September 2025 |
| Louise Cowling Hospitality Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 24 November 2020 |
| Royal British Legion Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 December 2019 |
| The Southern Co-Operative Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 February 2020 |
| Oriental Express Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 4 - Good | 14 January 2025 |
Questions about The Half Moon
What is The Half Moon's food hygiene rating?
The Half Moon has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Dorset Council on 10 December 2024.
Is The Half Moon 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 pub to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Half Moon last inspected?
The Half Moon was last inspected on 10 December 2024, 19 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dorset Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Half Moon?
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 Half Moon compare to other places in Dorset?
95% of the 3,988 rated food businesses in Dorset hold the top rating of 5, while The Half Moon holds a 4. 139 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dorset Council inspects The Half Moon 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 Half Moon 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 Half Moon is one of 98 rated food businesses in Shaftesbury. See every hygiene rating in Shaftesbury →
Dorset inspects and rates 5,107 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dorset →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.dorsetcouncil.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 →