5

The Gardeners Arms food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Mid Suffolk

The Gardeners Arms holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the pub met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 30 January 2026, 5 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 Gardeners Arms. The Gardeners Arms, Church Road, Tostock, IP30 9PA

How it compares in Mid Suffolk

That puts The Gardeners Arms among the 625 places in Mid Suffolk holding top marks, 86% 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.

Every rated food business in Mid Suffolk
5 out of 5 625 86% ← The Gardeners Arms
4 out of 5 66 9%
3 out of 5 26 4%
2 out of 5 3 <1%
1 out of 5 8 1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 121 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

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 Gardeners 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 Gardeners Arms, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Grange Leisure Woolpit Mobile caterer 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 13 April 2025
Gather & Gather Limited Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 27 January 2026
The Bear Inn Pub/bar/nightclub 1.1 miles away Awaiting inspection
Norton Salvation Army Hall Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 1.2 miles away 5 - Very good 18 April 2024
The Bull Inn Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 1.3 miles away 5 - Very good 5 February 2025
Norton service station Retailers - other 1.3 miles away 5 - Very good 25 April 2025
East of England Co-Op Foodstore Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 1.3 miles away 5 - Very good 12 January 2026
Woolpit Cricket Club Pub/bar/nightclub 1.4 miles away 5 - Very good 15 August 2024

Questions about The Gardeners Arms

What is The Gardeners Arms's food hygiene rating?

The Gardeners Arms has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Mid Suffolk Council on 30 January 2026.

Is The Gardeners Arms 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 pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Gardeners Arms last inspected?

The Gardeners Arms was last inspected on 30 January 2026, 5 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Mid Suffolk Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Gardeners Arms?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Gardeners Arms compare to other places in Mid Suffolk?

86% of the 730 rated food businesses in Mid Suffolk hold the top rating of 5, and The Gardeners Arms is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Mid Suffolk Council inspects The Gardeners 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 Gardeners 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

The Gardeners Arms is one of 82 rated food businesses in Bury St Edmunds. See every hygiene rating in Bury St Edmunds

Mid Suffolk inspects and rates 851 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Mid Suffolk

The official record is held by the council: http://www.midsuffolk.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 →