Riverside Spice food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Braintree
Riverside Spice 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 25 September 2025, 9 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: 44 Lower Holt Street, Earls Colne, Colchester, CO6 2PH
How it compares in Braintree
In Braintree, 85% of rated places manage a 5, so Riverside Spice sits behind roughly 1,105 nearby businesses. 3% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 980 | 85% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 125 | 11% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 34 | 3% | ← Riverside Spice | |
| 2 out of 5 | 8 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 111 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 Riverside Spice 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 Riverside Spice, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylva Manufacturers/packers | 107 yards away | Exempt | |
| Earls Colne Primary And Nursery School School/college/university | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 29 January 2026 |
| Brook House Caring Premises | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 29 November 2024 |
| Colne Valley Wines Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 June 2023 |
| Dusk Pop Up Other catering premises | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 April 2026 |
| Kofi Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 4 - Good | 26 October 2024 |
| Golden Harvest Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 4 - Good | 11 October 2024 |
| Rainbow Fish Bar Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 4 - Good | 10 April 2025 |
Questions about Riverside Spice
What is Riverside Spice's food hygiene rating?
Riverside Spice has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Braintree Council on 25 September 2025.
Is Riverside Spice 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 Riverside Spice last inspected?
Riverside Spice was last inspected on 25 September 2025, 9 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Braintree Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Riverside Spice?
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 Riverside Spice compare to other places in Braintree?
85% of the 1,156 rated food businesses in Braintree hold the top rating of 5, while Riverside Spice holds a 3. 34 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Braintree Council inspects Riverside Spice 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 Riverside Spice and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Riverside Spice is one of 32 rated food businesses in Earls Colne. See every hygiene rating in Earls Colne →
Braintree inspects and rates 1,267 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Braintree →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.braintree.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 →