The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Durham
The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play 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 12 August 2025, 12 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.
This sits in the middle for Durham, where 2% of rated places score below 3 and 91% score 4 or 5. See all Durham ratings →
Address: Unit 1 Field House West Road, Annfield Plain, DH9 7XA
How it compares in Durham
In Durham, 75% of rated places manage a 5, so The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play sits behind roughly 3,745 nearby businesses. 7% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 3,075 | 75% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 670 | 16% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 287 | 7% | ← The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play | |
| 2 out of 5 | 46 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 25 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 3 | <1% |
A further 525 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 The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play 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 Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach and Horses Pub/bar/nightclub | 246 yards away | 4 - Good | 29 January 2026 |
| Candy Parrot Retailers - other | 326 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 August 2022 |
| Best One - Gaba & Sons Retailers - other | 351 yards away | 4 - Good | 14 April 2026 |
| David's Mini Market Retailers - other | 369 yards away | 4 - Good | 14 March 2025 |
| Prime Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | 373 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 February 2026 |
| China Tasty Takeaway/sandwich shop | 385 yards away | 4 - Good | 17 April 2026 |
| Aroma spice Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 401 yards away | 4 - Good | 30 March 2026 |
| Queens Head Hotel Pub/bar/nightclub | 405 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 August 2019 |
Questions about The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play
What is The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play's food hygiene rating?
The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Durham Council on 12 August 2025.
Is The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play 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 The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play last inspected?
The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play was last inspected on 12 August 2025, 12 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Durham Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play?
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 The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play compare to other places in Durham?
75% of the 4,106 rated food businesses in Durham hold the top rating of 5, while The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play holds a 3. 287 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Durham Council inspects The Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play 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 Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play 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 Cubbyhole Cafe and Mini Soft Play is one of 29 rated food businesses in Annfield Plain. See every hygiene rating in Annfield Plain →
Durham inspects and rates 4,631 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Durham →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.durham.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 →