5

The Chequers food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · West Oxfordshire

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

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 28 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: Chequers Inn, Goddards Lane, Chipping Norton, OX7 5NP

How it compares in West Oxfordshire

That puts The Chequers among the 957 places in West Oxfordshire holding top marks, 94% 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 West Oxfordshire
5 out of 5 957 94% ← The Chequers
4 out of 5 42 4%
3 out of 5 10 1%
2 out of 5 3 <1%
1 out of 5 1 <1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 110 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 Chequers 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 Chequers, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
The Blue Boar Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house 20 yards away 5 - Very good 17 June 2025
Sofea Retailers - other 39 yards away 5 - Very good 23 January 2025
The Chippy Larder Farmers/growers 39 yards away 5 - Very good 8 July 2021
Bitter And Twisted Pub/bar/nightclub 69 yards away 5 - Very good 19 August 2024
Jaffe & Neale Bookshop & Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 69 yards away 5 - Very good 10 October 2018
La Vecchia Cantina Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 69 yards away 5 - Very good 15 January 2026
Mario's Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop 69 yards away 5 - Very good 22 October 2024
New Chefs Cottage Takeaway/sandwich shop 69 yards away 4 - Good 22 May 2025

Questions about The Chequers

What is The Chequers's food hygiene rating?

The Chequers has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by West Oxfordshire Council on 28 January 2025.

Is The Chequers 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 pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Chequers last inspected?

The Chequers was last inspected on 28 January 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by West Oxfordshire Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Chequers?

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 Chequers compare to other places in West Oxfordshire?

94% of the 1,013 rated food businesses in West Oxfordshire hold the top rating of 5, and The Chequers is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

West Oxfordshire Council inspects The Chequers 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 Chequers 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 Chequers is one of 197 rated food businesses in Chipping Norton. See every hygiene rating in Chipping Norton

West Oxfordshire inspects and rates 1,123 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in West Oxfordshire

The official record is held by the council: http://www.westoxon.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 →