The Dolphin food hygiene rating
Pub/bar/nightclub · Winchester City
The Dolphin holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the pub 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 14 January 2025, 17 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: The Dolphin Inn, Main Road, Hursley, SO21 2JY
How it compares in Winchester City
In Winchester City, 89% of rated places manage a 5, so The Dolphin sits behind roughly 964 nearby businesses. 8% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 964 | 89% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 89 | 8% | ← The Dolphin | |
| 3 out of 5 | 17 | 2% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 3 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 6 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
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 Good
- 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 Dolphin 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 Dolphin, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merdon Lodge No 5135 (Masonic Hall) Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 96 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 March 2024 |
| Hursley High Class Butcher Retailers - other | 105 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 August 2025 |
| Hursley Village And Community Shop Retailers - other | 105 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 October 2025 |
| John Keble Church Of England Primary School Breakfast \& Afte School/college/university | 258 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 December 2025 |
| John Keble Primary School School/college/university | 258 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 September 2025 |
| Hursley Childcare Hub Ltd Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 January 2026 |
| Compass At IBM Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 June 2024 |
| Hursley Sports And Social Club Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 June 2024 |
Questions about The Dolphin
What is The Dolphin's food hygiene rating?
The Dolphin has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Winchester City Council on 14 January 2025.
Is The Dolphin 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 pub to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Dolphin last inspected?
The Dolphin was last inspected on 14 January 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Winchester City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Dolphin?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Dolphin compare to other places in Winchester City?
89% of the 1,079 rated food businesses in Winchester City hold the top rating of 5, while The Dolphin holds a 4. 89 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Winchester City Council inspects The Dolphin 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 Dolphin 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 →
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Winchester City inspects and rates 1,174 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Winchester City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.winchester.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 →