Black Sheep Coffee food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Colchester
Black Sheep Coffee holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant 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 14 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: Unit A, 79 Culver Street East, Colchester, CO1 1LF
How it compares in Colchester
In Colchester, 89% of rated places manage a 5, so Black Sheep Coffee sits behind roughly 1,283 nearby businesses. 4% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,200 | 89% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 83 | 6% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 50 | 4% | ← Black Sheep Coffee | |
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 302 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 Black Sheep Coffee 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 Black Sheep Coffee, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| BakeHouse Express Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 40 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 May 2023 |
| Boots Uk Ltd Retailers - other | 108 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 January 2025 |
| Bridgeway Ministry Retailers - other | 130 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 July 2025 |
| ABI Store Retailers - other | 132 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 May 2026 |
| Chicago's Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 143 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 March 2025 |
| Chaiiwala Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 146 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 November 2024 |
| Bills Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 158 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 October 2024 |
| Cafe at Number 21 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 161 yards away | 5 - Very good | 30 July 2025 |
Questions about Black Sheep Coffee
What is Black Sheep Coffee's food hygiene rating?
Black Sheep Coffee has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Colchester Council on 14 May 2025.
Is Black Sheep Coffee safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant 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 Black Sheep Coffee last inspected?
Black Sheep Coffee was last inspected on 14 May 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Colchester Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Black Sheep Coffee?
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 Black Sheep Coffee compare to other places in Colchester?
89% of the 1,349 rated food businesses in Colchester hold the top rating of 5, while Black Sheep Coffee holds a 3. 50 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Colchester Council inspects Black Sheep Coffee 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 Black Sheep Coffee and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Colchester inspects and rates 1,651 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Colchester →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.colchester.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 →