The Cock Hitchin food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · North Hertfordshire
The Cock Hitchin holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant 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 28 November 2025, 7 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: 8 High Street, Hitchin, SG5 1BH
How it compares in North Hertfordshire
In North Hertfordshire, 78% of rated places manage a 5, so The Cock Hitchin sits behind roughly 789 nearby businesses. 15% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 789 | 78% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 155 | 15% | ← The Cock Hitchin | |
| 3 out of 5 | 48 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 13 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 105 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 Good
- 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 Cock Hitchin 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 Cock Hitchin, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greggs The Bakers Retailers - other | 54 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 August 2025 |
| Hatter's Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 61 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 June 2025 |
| Groundworks Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 65 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2025 |
| Bombay Bite Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 71 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 April 2025 |
| Hitchin Information Retailers - other | 71 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 February 2024 |
| Esquires Hitchin Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 79 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 June 2026 |
| Fabios Gelato Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 83 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 May 2026 |
| Cafe Air Limited Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 104 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 October 2018 |
Questions about The Cock Hitchin
What is The Cock Hitchin's food hygiene rating?
The Cock Hitchin has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by North Hertfordshire Council on 28 November 2025.
Is The Cock Hitchin 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 restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Cock Hitchin last inspected?
The Cock Hitchin was last inspected on 28 November 2025, 7 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by North Hertfordshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Cock Hitchin?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Cock Hitchin compare to other places in North Hertfordshire?
78% of the 1,015 rated food businesses in North Hertfordshire hold the top rating of 5, while The Cock Hitchin holds a 4. 155 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
North Hertfordshire Council inspects The Cock Hitchin 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 Cock Hitchin 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 Cock Hitchin is one of 307 rated food businesses in Hitchin. See every hygiene rating in Hitchin →
North Hertfordshire inspects and rates 1,120 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in North Hertfordshire →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.north-herts.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 →