5

The Chieftain food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Welwyn Hatfield

The Chieftain 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

This is a fresh result: The Chieftain was inspected on 16 June 2026, so the rating reflects what the inspector found very recently.

Address: Cole Green Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3JF

How it compares in Welwyn Hatfield

That puts The Chieftain among the 510 places in Welwyn Hatfield holding top marks, 78% 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 Welwyn Hatfield
5 out of 5 510 78% ← The Chieftain
4 out of 5 104 16%
3 out of 5 31 5%
2 out of 5 1 <1%
1 out of 5 4 1%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

A further 107 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 Chieftain 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 Chieftain, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Cole Green Wines Retailers - other 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 8 December 2022
Hertfordshire County Council Caring Premises 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 30 January 2025
Hall Grove Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 15 October 2025
Fat Jacks / Downtown Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 19 August 2024
Express Supermarket Retailers - other 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 7 February 2024
Creswick Primary and Nursery School School/college/university 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 16 January 2025
Commonswood School School/college/university 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 11 May 2026
Attimore Barn Pre-School Other catering premises 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 27 September 2024

Questions about The Chieftain

What is The Chieftain's food hygiene rating?

The Chieftain has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Welwyn Hatfield Council on 16 June 2026.

Is The Chieftain 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 Chieftain last inspected?

The Chieftain was last inspected on 16 June 2026, within the last month. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Welwyn Hatfield Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Chieftain?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "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 Chieftain compare to other places in Welwyn Hatfield?

78% of the 651 rated food businesses in Welwyn Hatfield hold the top rating of 5, and The Chieftain is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Welwyn Hatfield Council inspects The Chieftain 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 Chieftain 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 Chieftain is one of 229 rated food businesses in Welwyn Garden City. See every hygiene rating in Welwyn Garden City

Welwyn Hatfield inspects and rates 758 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Welwyn Hatfield

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