The Cottage Italian Bistro food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Central Bedfordshire
The Cottage Italian Bistro holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant 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 17 September 2025, 9 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: 19 Hockliffe Street, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 1EZ
How it compares in Central Bedfordshire
In Central Bedfordshire, 76% of rated places manage a 5, so The Cottage Italian Bistro sits behind roughly 1,153 nearby businesses. 17% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,153 | 76% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 254 | 17% | ← The Cottage Italian Bistro | |
| 3 out of 5 | 83 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 18 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 189 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 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 Cottage Italian Bistro 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 Cottage Italian Bistro, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amore Bakery Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 55 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 March 2019 |
| Amore Desserts Mobile caterer | 56 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 November 2025 |
| Latte Dah Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 66 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 May 2024 |
| Chicken Treat Takeaway/sandwich shop | 75 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 February 2025 |
| North Sea Fish and Chips Takeaway/sandwich shop | 112 yards away | 5 - Very good | 6 November 2024 |
| Natures Harvest Health Food Retailers - other | 119 yards away | 5 - Very good | 23 February 2011 |
| Iceland Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 119 yards away | 5 - Very good | 6 October 2023 |
| Ollie Vees Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 128 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 January 2025 |
Questions about The Cottage Italian Bistro
What is The Cottage Italian Bistro's food hygiene rating?
The Cottage Italian Bistro has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Central Bedfordshire Council on 17 September 2025.
Is The Cottage Italian Bistro 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 restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Cottage Italian Bistro last inspected?
The Cottage Italian Bistro was last inspected on 17 September 2025, 9 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Central Bedfordshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Cottage Italian Bistro?
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 "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Cottage Italian Bistro compare to other places in Central Bedfordshire?
76% of the 1,520 rated food businesses in Central Bedfordshire hold the top rating of 5, while The Cottage Italian Bistro holds a 4. 254 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Central Bedfordshire Council inspects The Cottage Italian Bistro 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 Cottage Italian Bistro 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 Cottage Italian Bistro is one of 577 rated food businesses in Beds. See every hygiene rating in Beds →
Central Bedfordshire inspects and rates 1,709 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Central Bedfordshire →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.centralbedfordshire.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 →