Cottoms Shop food hygiene rating
Retailers - other · St Helens
Cottoms Shop holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the shop 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 12 February 2026, 5 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: Cottom Brothers, Lock Street, St Helens, WA9 1HS
How it compares in St Helens
In St Helens, 72% of rated places manage a 5, so Cottoms Shop sits behind roughly 911 nearby businesses. 16% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 911 | 72% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 200 | 16% | ← Cottoms Shop | |
| 3 out of 5 | 105 | 8% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 34 | 3% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 23 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 93 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 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 Cottoms Shop 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.
Questions about Cottoms Shop
What is Cottoms Shop's food hygiene rating?
Cottoms Shop has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by St Helens Council on 12 February 2026.
Is Cottoms Shop 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 shop to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was Cottoms Shop last inspected?
Cottoms Shop was last inspected on 12 February 2026, 5 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by St Helens Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Cottoms Shop?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", 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 Cottoms Shop compare to other places in St Helens?
72% of the 1,274 rated food businesses in St Helens hold the top rating of 5, while Cottoms Shop holds a 4. 200 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
St Helens Council inspects Cottoms Shop 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 Cottoms Shop and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
St Helens inspects and rates 1,367 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in St Helens →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.sthelens.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 →