Sweetleaf Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Breckland
Sweetleaf Cafe holds a 2, which means some improvement is necessary. The inspector found problems at the restaurant that the business is required to fix.
The rating: 2 - Some improvement necessary
The rating dates from 6 May 2026, 2 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: 31A High Street, Dereham, NR19 1DZ
How it compares in Breckland
A 2 is rare: only 6 of 1,180 rated places in Breckland score this low, about one in 197. 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 | 1,014 | 86% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 101 | 9% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 47 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 6 | 1% | ← Sweetleaf Cafe | |
| 1 out of 5 | 12 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 77 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 Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Good
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 Sweetleaf Cafe the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled. 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 Sweetleaf Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grape Tree Retailers - other | 29 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 March 2024 |
| Lacco Italian restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 34 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 April 2025 |
| Caprinos Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | 38 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 January 2026 |
| No1 corner shop Retailers - other | 87 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 June 2024 |
| Dereham Baptist Chursh Other catering premises | 95 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 September 2025 |
| Harmony Within Handcrafted Creations Retailers - other | 95 yards away | 5 - Very good | 23 June 2026 |
| Dereham Aid Centre Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 100 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 January 2025 |
| QD Stores Limited Retailers - other | 103 yards away | 5 - Very good | 31 January 2025 |
Questions about Sweetleaf Cafe
What is Sweetleaf Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Sweetleaf Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 2 out of 5 (some improvement necessary), given by Breckland Council on 6 May 2026.
Is Sweetleaf Cafe safe to eat at?
A 2 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 Sweetleaf Cafe last inspected?
Sweetleaf Cafe was last inspected on 6 May 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Breckland Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Sweetleaf Cafe?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Sweetleaf Cafe compare to other places in Breckland?
86% of the 1,180 rated food businesses in Breckland hold the top rating of 5, while Sweetleaf Cafe holds a 2. 6 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Breckland Council inspects Sweetleaf Cafe 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 Sweetleaf Cafe 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 2 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 Breckland, 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: Breckland
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Sweetleaf Cafe is one of 161 rated food businesses in Dereham. See every hygiene rating in Dereham →
Breckland inspects and rates 1,257 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Breckland →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.breckland.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 →