Cocoa Tree food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · North Yorkshire
Cocoa Tree holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the restaurant and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 23 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: 4 Castlegate, YO62 5AB
How it compares in North Yorkshire
A 1 is rare: only 49 of 6,226 rated places in North Yorkshire score this low, about one in 127. By contrast 86% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 5,364 | 86% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 544 | 9% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 212 | 3% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 56 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 49 | 1% | ← Cocoa Tree | |
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 841 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Improvement necessary
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Cocoa Tree the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled, the condition of the premises and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Cocoa Tree, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornercopia Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 9 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 November 2025 |
| The Feather Trail Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 18 yards away | 4 - Good | 27 January 2025 |
| Stilworth House Bed And Breakfast Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 23 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 October 2023 |
| Mannion & Co Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 25 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 November 2025 |
| Number 12 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 41 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 November 2025 |
| La Trattoria Helmsley Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 42 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 February 2026 |
| Thomas the Baker Retailers - other | 44 yards away | 4 - Good | 19 February 2026 |
| Auntie Anne's Castlegate Bakery Retailers - other | 50 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 November 2025 |
Questions about Cocoa Tree
What is Cocoa Tree's food hygiene rating?
Cocoa Tree has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by North Yorkshire Council on 23 March 2026.
Is Cocoa Tree safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Cocoa Tree last inspected?
Cocoa Tree was last inspected on 23 March 2026, 3 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by North Yorkshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Cocoa Tree?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Cocoa Tree compare to other places in North Yorkshire?
86% of the 6,226 rated food businesses in North Yorkshire hold the top rating of 5, while Cocoa Tree holds a 1. 49 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
North Yorkshire Council inspects Cocoa Tree 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 Cocoa Tree 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 →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at North Yorkshire, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: North Yorkshire
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Cocoa Tree is one of 34 rated food businesses in Helmsley. See every hygiene rating in Helmsley →
North Yorkshire inspects and rates 7,067 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in North Yorkshire →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.northyorks.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 →