5

The Briers food hygiene rating

Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house · Newry, Mourne and Down

The Briers holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the hotel met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 23 August 2024, 22 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.

Address: 39 Middle Tollymore Road, Newcastle, BT33 0JJ

How it compares in Newry, Mourne and Down

That puts The Briers among the 1,411 places in Newry, Mourne and Down holding top marks, 89% of everywhere the council rates. A 5 is the norm here rather than the exception, so it is the rating to expect, not to be impressed by.

Every rated food business in Newry, Mourne and Down
5 out of 5 1,411 89% ← The Briers
4 out of 5 124 8%
3 out of 5 24 2%
2 out of 5 13 1%
1 out of 5 8 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 143 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

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 Briers 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 Briers, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Acorn Annexe at Oakleigh House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house 185 yards away 5 - Very good 30 October 2024
Daisy Lodge Caring Premises 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 14 October 2025
Ark Community Gardens & Coffee Shop Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 30 July 2025
Golf Centre Newcastle Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 29 May 2026
Chatterbox Day Nursery School/college/university 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 14 August 2025
Cunningham Butchers Ltd Retailers - other 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 22 November 2024
Eurospar Newcastle Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 25 November 2025
Little SERC School/college/university 1.0 miles away 5 - Very good 16 April 2026

Questions about The Briers

What is The Briers's food hygiene rating?

The Briers has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Newry, Mourne and Down Council on 23 August 2024.

Is The Briers safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 5 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this hotel to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Briers last inspected?

The Briers was last inspected on 23 August 2024, 22 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Newry, Mourne and Down Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Briers?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", 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 Briers compare to other places in Newry, Mourne and Down?

89% of the 1,580 rated food businesses in Newry, Mourne and Down hold the top rating of 5, and The Briers is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Newry, Mourne and Down Council inspects The Briers 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 Briers 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 Briers is one of 27 rated food businesses in Newcastle. See every hygiene rating in Newcastle

Newry, Mourne and Down inspects and rates 1,723 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Newry, Mourne and Down

The official record is held by the council: http://www.newrymournedown.org

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 →