4

Pizza Cottage food hygiene rating

Takeaway/sandwich shop · Durham

Pizza Cottage holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the takeaway 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 12 December 2024, 18 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: 16 Market Place, Barnard Castle, DL12 8ND

How it compares in Durham

In Durham, 75% of rated places manage a 5, so Pizza Cottage sits behind roughly 3,087 nearby businesses. 17% of the borough shares its 4.

Every rated food business in Durham
5 out of 5 3,087 75%
4 out of 5 682 17% ← Pizza Cottage
3 out of 5 286 7%
2 out of 5 51 1%
1 out of 5 25 1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 512 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 Pizza Cottage 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 Pizza Cottage, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Heron Foods Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 23 yards away 5 - Very good 26 January 2026
No 15 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 43 yards away 5 - Very good 10 July 2025
Raby Arms Pub/bar/nightclub 47 yards away 5 - Very good 17 February 2025
Babul's Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 49 yards away 5 - Very good 29 November 2021
Moments Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 52 yards away 5 - Very good 1 May 2026
Gelato Tutti Takeaway/sandwich shop 55 yards away 5 - Very good 11 June 2025
Clarendons Cafe and Tearoom Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 58 yards away 5 - Very good 23 January 2026
Castle Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop 61 yards away 5 - Very good 14 November 2023

Questions about Pizza Cottage

What is Pizza Cottage's food hygiene rating?

Pizza Cottage has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Durham Council on 12 December 2024.

Is Pizza Cottage 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 takeaway to be good, the top end of the scale.

When was Pizza Cottage last inspected?

Pizza Cottage was last inspected on 12 December 2024, 18 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Durham Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Pizza Cottage?

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 Pizza Cottage compare to other places in Durham?

75% of the 4,133 rated food businesses in Durham hold the top rating of 5, while Pizza Cottage holds a 4. 682 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Durham Council inspects Pizza Cottage 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 Pizza Cottage and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Pizza Cottage is one of 107 rated food businesses in Barnard Castle. See every hygiene rating in Barnard Castle

Durham inspects and rates 4,645 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Durham

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