5

The Hug and Heave food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Derbyshire Dales

The Hug and Heave holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the restaurant met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 9 April 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: 33 St John Street, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1GP

How it compares in Derbyshire Dales

That puts The Hug and Heave among the 526 places in Derbyshire Dales holding top marks, 64% 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 Derbyshire Dales
5 out of 5 526 64% ← The Hug and Heave
4 out of 5 168 20%
3 out of 5 90 11%
2 out of 5 24 3%
1 out of 5 10 1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 84 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 Hug and Heave 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 Hug and Heave, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Poms Ashbourne Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen at this address 5 - Very good 4 November 2024
Beaumonts of Ashbourne Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 32 yards away 5 - Very good 29 January 2026
Booboo Desserts & Bubble Tea Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 34 yards away 3 - Generally satisfactory 26 March 2025
Queen's Vaults Pub/bar/nightclub 34 yards away 5 - Very good 23 February 2023
Ashbourne Ex-Servicemens Club Pub/bar/nightclub 41 yards away 5 - Very good 14 April 2026
White Swan Pub/bar/nightclub 41 yards away 5 - Very good 1 December 2021
Market Fish & Chip Shop Takeaway/sandwich shop 41 yards away 4 - Good 12 June 2024
Ye Olde Vaults Pub/bar/nightclub 41 yards away 4 - Good 3 June 2026

Questions about The Hug and Heave

What is The Hug and Heave's food hygiene rating?

The Hug and Heave has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Derbyshire Dales Council on 9 April 2026.

Is The Hug and Heave 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 restaurant to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Hug and Heave last inspected?

The Hug and Heave was last inspected on 9 April 2026, 3 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Derbyshire Dales Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Hug and Heave?

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 Hug and Heave compare to other places in Derbyshire Dales?

64% of the 820 rated food businesses in Derbyshire Dales hold the top rating of 5, and The Hug and Heave is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Derbyshire Dales Council inspects The Hug and Heave 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 Hug and Heave 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 Hug and Heave is one of 105 rated food businesses in Ashbourne. See every hygiene rating in Ashbourne

Derbyshire Dales inspects and rates 904 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Derbyshire Dales

The official record is held by the council: http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/fhrs

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 →