5

The Swan food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Braintree

The Swan 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 28 August 2024, 22 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.

Address: 153 Newland Street, Witham, Essex, CM8 1BE

How it compares in Braintree

That puts The Swan among the 980 places in Braintree holding top marks, 85% 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 Braintree
5 out of 5 980 85% ← The Swan
4 out of 5 125 11%
3 out of 5 34 3%
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

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 Swan 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 Swan, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Bubblescape Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 2 yards away 5 - Very good 6 February 2024
Crafty Bear Kitchen Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 27 yards away 5 - Very good 22 October 2025
Ifraaz Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 49 yards away 5 - Very good 23 April 2026
Park View Caring Premises 194 yards away 5 - Very good 11 August 2025
Astare Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 195 yards away 5 - Very good 2 June 2026
Shampers Wine And Cheese Pub/bar/nightclub 195 yards away 5 - Very good 28 February 2025
Prezzo Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 221 yards away 5 - Very good 14 January 2025
Lidl Retailers - other 275 yards away 5 - Very good 30 September 2024

Questions about The Swan

What is The Swan's food hygiene rating?

The Swan has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Braintree Council on 28 August 2024.

Is The Swan 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 Swan last inspected?

The Swan was last inspected on 28 August 2024, 22 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 The Swan?

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 Swan compare to other places in Braintree?

85% of the 1,156 rated food businesses in Braintree hold the top rating of 5, and The Swan is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Braintree Council inspects The Swan 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 Swan 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

The Swan is one of 170 rated food businesses in Witham. See every hygiene rating in Witham

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 →