The Red Lion Hotel food hygiene rating
Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house · South Cambridgeshire
The Red Lion Hotel holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The hotel 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 17 April 2025, 14 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: 42 Station Road (east), Whittlesford, CB22 4NL
How it compares in South Cambridgeshire
In South Cambridgeshire, 87% of rated places manage a 5, so The Red Lion Hotel sits behind roughly 1,183 nearby businesses. 2% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,062 | 87% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 121 | 10% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 26 | 2% | ← The Red Lion Hotel | |
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 95 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 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 Red Lion Hotel 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 Red Lion Hotel, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| BP Whittlesford Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 7 January 2025 |
| McDonald's Restaurants Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 January 2025 |
| Orchard Pond B&B Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 19 August 2025 |
| Unity Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 June 2026 |
| Cambridge Luxury Bakes Ltd Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 October 2024 |
| The John Barleycorn Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 March 2026 |
| Tilly's Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 8 July 2026 |
| Duxford Church of England Community Primary School School/college/university | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 18 September 2024 |
Questions about The Red Lion Hotel
What is The Red Lion Hotel's food hygiene rating?
The Red Lion Hotel has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by South Cambridgeshire Council on 17 April 2025.
Is The Red Lion Hotel safe to eat at?
A 3 means the hotel 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 Red Lion Hotel last inspected?
The Red Lion Hotel was last inspected on 17 April 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by South Cambridgeshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Red Lion Hotel?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Red Lion Hotel compare to other places in South Cambridgeshire?
87% of the 1,221 rated food businesses in South Cambridgeshire hold the top rating of 5, while The Red Lion Hotel holds a 3. 26 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
South Cambridgeshire Council inspects The Red Lion Hotel 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 Red Lion Hotel and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
South Cambridgeshire inspects and rates 1,316 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in South Cambridgeshire →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.scambs.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 →