The Boatyard Dedham food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Colchester
The Boatyard Dedham 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 24 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: The Boatyard Eatery, Mill Lane, Dedham, CO7 6DH
How it compares in Colchester
In Colchester, 89% of rated places manage a 5, so The Boatyard Dedham sits behind roughly 1,283 nearby businesses. 4% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,200 | 89% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 83 | 6% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 50 | 4% | ← The Boatyard Dedham | |
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 302 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 Good
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 Boatyard Dedham 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 Boatyard Dedham, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dedham Centre Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 370 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 June 2025 |
| The Marlborough Other catering premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 25 February 2025 |
| The Old Bakery Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 20 November 2024 |
| Fun 4 Kids @ Dedham School/college/university | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 14 January 2025 |
| Le Maison Talbooth Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 0.7 miles away | 4 - Good | 4 July 2025 |
| Hall Farm Cafe Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.7 miles away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 24 February 2026 |
| Vale Garage Retailers - other | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 March 2018 |
| Anchor Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 August 2024 |
Questions about The Boatyard Dedham
What is The Boatyard Dedham's food hygiene rating?
The Boatyard Dedham has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Colchester Council on 24 April 2025.
Is The Boatyard Dedham 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 Boatyard Dedham last inspected?
The Boatyard Dedham was last inspected on 24 April 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Colchester Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Boatyard Dedham?
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 "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Boatyard Dedham compare to other places in Colchester?
89% of the 1,349 rated food businesses in Colchester hold the top rating of 5, while The Boatyard Dedham holds a 3. 50 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Colchester Council inspects The Boatyard Dedham 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 Boatyard Dedham 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
The Boatyard Dedham is one of 23 rated food businesses in Dedham. See every hygiene rating in Dedham →
Colchester inspects and rates 1,651 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Colchester →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.colchester.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 →