5

Elephant and Castle food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · St Albans City

Elephant and Castle 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: Elephant and Castle was inspected on 20 June 2026, so the rating reflects what the inspector found very recently.

Address: The Elephant and Castle, Amwell Lane, Wheathampstead, AL4 8EA

How it compares in St Albans City

That puts Elephant and Castle among the 821 places in St Albans City 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 St Albans City
5 out of 5 821 78% ← Elephant and Castle
4 out of 5 153 14%
3 out of 5 65 6%
2 out of 5 10 1%
1 out of 5 10 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 98 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 Elephant and Castle 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.

Questions about Elephant and Castle

What is Elephant and Castle's food hygiene rating?

Elephant and Castle has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by St Albans City Council on 20 June 2026.

Is Elephant and Castle 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 Elephant and Castle last inspected?

Elephant and Castle was last inspected on 20 June 2026, within the last month. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by St Albans City Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Elephant and Castle?

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 Elephant and Castle compare to other places in St Albans City?

78% of the 1,059 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, and Elephant and Castle is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

St Albans City Council inspects Elephant and Castle 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 Elephant and Castle and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Elephant and Castle is one of 32 rated food businesses in Wheathampstead. See every hygiene rating in Wheathampstead

St Albans City inspects and rates 1,157 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in St Albans City

The official record is held by the council: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/business/Health-and-safety/food-safety/foodHygieneRating.aspx

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 →