The Bell Inn food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Tendring
The Bell Inn holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 22 April 2025, 14 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: High Street, Thorpe Le Soken, Clacton on Sea, CO16 0DY
How it compares in Tendring
In Tendring, 67% of rated places manage a 5, so The Bell Inn sits behind roughly 996 nearby businesses. 9% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 775 | 67% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 221 | 19% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 106 | 9% | ← The Bell Inn | |
| 2 out of 5 | 32 | 3% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 20 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 3 | <1% |
A further 123 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- 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 Bell Inn 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 Bell Inn, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Crown Pub/bar/nightclub | at this address | 5 - Very good | 7 May 2026 |
| Sunus Kitchen Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 49 yards away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 5 December 2024 |
| Thorpe Sports and Social Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 113 yards away | 4 - Good | 31 October 2025 |
| Convenient Corner Retailers - other | 184 yards away | Awaiting inspection | |
| Water Margin Takeaway/sandwich shop | 200 yards away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 27 September 2025 |
| Love to Eat Retailers - other | 366 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 November 2024 |
| Tesco Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 366 yards away | 4 - Good | 24 May 2025 |
| Nanny Jo's Day Nursery Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 4 - Good | 19 September 2025 |
Questions about The Bell Inn
What is The Bell Inn's food hygiene rating?
The Bell Inn has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Tendring Council on 22 April 2025.
Is The Bell Inn safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was The Bell Inn last inspected?
The Bell Inn was last inspected on 22 April 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Tendring Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Bell Inn?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", 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 Bell Inn compare to other places in Tendring?
67% of the 1,157 rated food businesses in Tendring hold the top rating of 5, while The Bell Inn holds a 3. 106 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Tendring Council inspects The Bell Inn 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 Bell Inn 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 Bell Inn is one of 505 rated food businesses in Clacton on Sea. See every hygiene rating in Clacton on Sea →
Tendring inspects and rates 1,280 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Tendring →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.tendringdc.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 →