4

The Red Lion food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · South Oxfordshire

The Red Lion holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the pub are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.

The rating: 4 - Good

The rating dates from 29 April 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: 39 Wallingford Road, Cholsey, Wallingford Oxon, OX10 9LG

How it compares in South Oxfordshire

In South Oxfordshire, 71% of rated places manage a 5, so The Red Lion sits behind roughly 808 nearby businesses. 16% of the borough shares its 4.

Every rated food business in South Oxfordshire
5 out of 5 808 71%
4 out of 5 186 16% ← The Red Lion
3 out of 5 120 11%
2 out of 5 17 1%
1 out of 5 5 <1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 116 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 Red Lion 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 Red Lion, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
The Treehouse School School/college/university 23 yards away 5 - Very good 6 November 2018
Memories of Bengal Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 136 yards away 3 - Generally satisfactory 30 January 2025
Tesco Express Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 255 yards away 5 - Very good 6 June 2024
Shangki-Li Takeaway/sandwich shop 278 yards away 3 - Generally satisfactory 21 April 2026
Cholsey Day Centre Caring Premises 295 yards away 5 - Very good 1 April 2025
Mr & Mrs Park's Family Butchers Retailers - other 313 yards away 5 - Very good 14 January 2026
Cholsey County Primary School Breakfast & After School Club School/college/university 348 yards away 5 - Very good 24 June 2025
Cholsey Pre-SChool Caring Premises 348 yards away 5 - Very good 17 January 2025

Questions about The Red Lion

What is The Red Lion's food hygiene rating?

The Red Lion has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by South Oxfordshire Council on 29 April 2026.

Is The Red Lion safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this pub to be good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Red Lion last inspected?

The Red Lion was last inspected on 29 April 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by South Oxfordshire Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Red Lion?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", 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 The Red Lion compare to other places in South Oxfordshire?

71% of the 1,136 rated food businesses in South Oxfordshire hold the top rating of 5, while The Red Lion holds a 4. 186 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

South Oxfordshire Council inspects The Red Lion 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 Red Lion 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 Red Lion is one of 92 rated food businesses in Wallingford Oxon. See every hygiene rating in Wallingford Oxon

South Oxfordshire inspects and rates 1,252 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in South Oxfordshire

The official record is held by the council: https://www.southoxon.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 →