The Spice Merchant food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Wiltshire
The Spice Merchant holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 16 April 2025, 14 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: The Spice Merchant 36 Holloway, Malmesbury, SN16 9HX
How it compares in Wiltshire
In Wiltshire, 81% of rated places manage a 5, so The Spice Merchant sits behind roughly 2,712 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 2,382 | 81% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 330 | 11% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 173 | 6% | ← The Spice Merchant | |
| 2 out of 5 | 24 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 30 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 4 | <1% |
A further 1,266 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- 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 Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackdaws Coffee House Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 415 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 July 2024 |
| Malmesbury Luncheon Club Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 415 yards away | 5 - Very good | 2 April 2025 |
| Roost Restaurant Malmesbury Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 437 yards away | 3 - Generally satisfactory | 25 February 2026 |
| The Whole Hog Pub/bar/nightclub | 439 yards away | 4 - Good | 22 January 2026 |
| Leonard Walker (Family Butcher) Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 28 August 2024 |
| The Birdcage Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 4 - Good | 27 February 2026 |
| Co-Op Welcome Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.3 miles away | 4 - Good | 20 February 2024 |
| Skippers Fish & Chips Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.3 miles away | 4 - Good | 4 December 2023 |
Questions about The Spice Merchant
What is The Spice Merchant's food hygiene rating?
The Spice Merchant has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Wiltshire Council on 16 April 2025.
Is The Spice Merchant safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was The Spice Merchant last inspected?
The Spice Merchant was last inspected on 16 April 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Wiltshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Spice Merchant?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", 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 Spice Merchant compare to other places in Wiltshire?
81% of the 2,943 rated food businesses in Wiltshire hold the top rating of 5, while The Spice Merchant holds a 3. 173 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Wiltshire Council inspects The Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant 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 Spice Merchant is one of 53 rated food businesses in Malmesbury. See every hygiene rating in Malmesbury →
Wiltshire inspects and rates 4,209 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Wiltshire →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.wiltshire.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 →