The Old Buoy Inn food hygiene rating
Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house · Northumberland
The Old Buoy Inn holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The hotel 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 21 July 2025, 11 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: 1 St Aidans, Seahouses, Northumberland, NE68 7SR
How it compares in Northumberland
In Northumberland, 90% of rated places manage a 5, so The Old Buoy Inn sits behind roughly 2,989 nearby businesses. 2% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 2,775 | 90% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 214 | 7% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 67 | 2% | ← The Old Buoy Inn | |
| 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
- 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 Old Buoy Inn 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 Old Buoy Inn, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Beach House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | at this address | 4 - Good | 14 October 2025 |
| Ocean Club Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 197 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 March 2025 |
| Promised Land BK66 Farmers/growers | 264 yards away | Exempt | |
| The Bunker Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 428 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 February 2025 |
| Farne Gift Shop Retailers - other | 428 yards away | Exempt | |
| Neptunes Fish Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 December 2024 |
| Bamburgh Castle Inn Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 May 2026 |
| Simplicity Catering Limited Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 2 - Some improvement necessary | 3 March 2026 |
Questions about The Old Buoy Inn
What is The Old Buoy Inn's food hygiene rating?
The Old Buoy Inn has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Northumberland Council on 21 July 2025.
Is The Old Buoy Inn safe to eat at?
A 3 means the hotel 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 Old Buoy Inn last inspected?
The Old Buoy Inn was last inspected on 21 July 2025, 11 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 Old Buoy Inn?
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 Old Buoy Inn compare to other places in Northumberland?
90% of the 3,073 rated food businesses in Northumberland hold the top rating of 5, while The Old Buoy Inn holds a 3. 67 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Northumberland Council inspects The Old Buoy Inn 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 Old Buoy Inn 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 Old Buoy Inn is one of 31 rated food businesses in Seahouses. See every hygiene rating in Seahouses →
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 →