SM & Sons Food and Wine food hygiene rating
Retailers - other · St Albans City
SM & Sons Food and Wine holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the shop 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 15 October 2025, 8 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: SM & Sons Food and Wine, 30-32 Abbots Avenue West, St Albans, AL1 2JZ
How it compares in St Albans City
In St Albans City, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so SM & Sons Food and Wine sits behind roughly 818 nearby businesses. 15% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 818 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 157 | 15% | ← SM & Sons Food and Wine | |
| 3 out of 5 | 63 | 6% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 105 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 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 SM & Sons Food and Wine 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 SM & Sons Food and Wine, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Coffee & Drive Thru Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 October 2024 |
| Aston Grange Nursing Home Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 25 November 2025 |
| Aldi Stores Ltd Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 April 2024 |
| Caffe Carluccio's Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 17 July 2025 |
| Cellar Door Wines Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 October 2025 |
| BP (Mount) Connect M&S Simply Food Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 September 2024 |
| Caterplus @ McCarthy & Stone Caring Premises | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 April 2026 |
| Chartwells catering @ St Columba's College School/college/university | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 March 2025 |
Questions about SM & Sons Food and Wine
What is SM & Sons Food and Wine's food hygiene rating?
SM & Sons Food and Wine has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by St Albans City Council on 15 October 2025.
Is SM & Sons Food and Wine 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 shop to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was SM & Sons Food and Wine last inspected?
SM & Sons Food and Wine was last inspected on 15 October 2025, 8 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by St Albans City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at SM & Sons Food and Wine?
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 "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does SM & Sons Food and Wine compare to other places in St Albans City?
77% of the 1,058 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, while SM & Sons Food and Wine holds a 4. 157 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
St Albans City Council inspects SM & Sons Food and Wine 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 SM & Sons Food and Wine and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
St Albans City inspects and rates 1,163 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in St Albans City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/business/Health-and-safety/food-safety/foodHygieneRating.aspx
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 →