The Garage food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Northumberland
The Garage holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the restaurant and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 28 April 2026, 2 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: Dark Lane, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1SU
How it compares in Northumberland
A 1 is rare: only 8 of 3,077 rated places in Northumberland score this low, about one in 385. By contrast 90% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 2,778 | 90% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 213 | 7% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 68 | 2% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 8 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 8 | <1% | ← The Garage | |
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 397 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 Good
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Garage the inspector recorded concerns over confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to The Garage, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bikes Cafe @ Morpeth Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | at this address | 5 - Very good | 19 January 2026 |
| Morrisons Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 65 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 March 2026 |
| Morrisons Daily Morpeth Retailers - other | 65 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 September 2024 |
| Chatter Box Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 95 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 March 2026 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 124 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 March 2026 |
| Home Bargains Retailers - other | 124 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 February 2026 |
| Lidl Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 124 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 August 2021 |
| Next plc Retailers - other | 124 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 March 2023 |
Questions about The Garage
What is The Garage's food hygiene rating?
The Garage has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Northumberland Council on 28 April 2026.
Is The Garage safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was The Garage last inspected?
The Garage was last inspected on 28 April 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Northumberland Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Garage?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Garage compare to other places in Northumberland?
90% of the 3,077 rated food businesses in Northumberland hold the top rating of 5, while The Garage holds a 1. 8 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Northumberland Council inspects The Garage 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 Garage and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Northumberland, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Northumberland
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
The Garage is one of 158 rated food businesses in Morpeth. See every hygiene rating in Morpeth →
Northumberland inspects and rates 3,474 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Northumberland →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.northumberland.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 →