5

The Bowes Hotel food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Northumberland

The Bowes Hotel 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

The rating dates from 23 January 2026, 5 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: Bardon Mill, Northumberland, NE47 7HU

How it compares in Northumberland

That puts The Bowes Hotel among the 2,775 places in Northumberland holding top marks, 90% 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 Northumberland
5 out of 5 2,775 90% ← The Bowes Hotel
4 out of 5 214 7%
3 out of 5 67 2%
2 out of 5 7 <1%
1 out of 5 8 <1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 393 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 Bowes Hotel 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 Bowes Hotel, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Bardon Mill Tearoom & Stores Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 35 yards away 5 - Very good 21 August 2025
Starbucks Takeaway/sandwich shop 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 18 May 2022
Henshaw Service Station Retailers - other 0.7 miles away 5 - Very good 10 March 2026
Henshaw CE Aided Primary School School/college/university 0.9 miles away 5 - Very good 13 May 2025

Questions about The Bowes Hotel

What is The Bowes Hotel's food hygiene rating?

The Bowes Hotel has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Northumberland Council on 23 January 2026.

Is The Bowes Hotel 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 The Bowes Hotel last inspected?

The Bowes Hotel was last inspected on 23 January 2026, 5 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Northumberland Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Bowes Hotel?

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 Bowes Hotel compare to other places in Northumberland?

90% of the 3,073 rated food businesses in Northumberland hold the top rating of 5, and The Bowes Hotel is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Northumberland Council inspects The Bowes Hotel 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 Bowes Hotel and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Northumberland inspects and rates 3,466 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Northumberland

The official record is held by the council: http://www.northumberland.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 →