The Spice Merchant food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Somerset
The Spice Merchant 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 16 March 2026, 3 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: 14 Market Street, Watchet, Somerset, TA23 0AN
How it compares in Somerset
In Somerset, 88% of rated places manage a 5, so The Spice Merchant sits behind roughly 5,364 nearby businesses. 2% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 4,825 | 88% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 539 | 10% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 93 | 2% | ← The Spice Merchant | |
| 2 out of 5 | 26 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 31 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 557 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 Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | at this address | 5 - Very good | 11 March 2025 |
| The Bell Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | at this address | 5 - Very good | 17 July 2024 |
| Hellikers Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | at this address | 4 - Good | 21 January 2025 |
| Pebbles Tavern Pub/bar/nightclub | 20 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 June 2021 |
| Crispy's Fish & Chips Takeaway/sandwich shop | 30 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 February 2025 |
| The Corner House Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 47 yards away | Awaiting inspection | |
| Mariner Guest House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 66 yards away | 4 - Good | 30 August 2016 |
| Balsher's Retailers - other | 73 yards away | Awaiting inspection |
Questions about The Spice Merchant
What is The Spice Merchant's food hygiene rating?
The Spice Merchant has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Somerset Council on 16 March 2026.
Is The Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant last inspected?
The Spice Merchant was last inspected on 16 March 2026, 3 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Somerset Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Spice Merchant?
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 Spice Merchant compare to other places in Somerset?
88% of the 5,514 rated food businesses in Somerset hold the top rating of 5, while The Spice Merchant holds a 3. 93 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Somerset Council inspects The Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant is one of 61 rated food businesses in Watchet. See every hygiene rating in Watchet →
Somerset inspects and rates 6,071 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Somerset →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.somerset.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 →