Brown Sugar food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Buckinghamshire
Brown Sugar holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the restaurant and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 21 April 2026, 2 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: 74 The Broadway, High Street, Chesham, HP5 1EG
How it compares in Buckinghamshire
A 1 is rare: only 31 of 4,001 rated places in Buckinghamshire score this low, about one in 129. By contrast 81% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 3,226 | 81% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 530 | 13% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 171 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 42 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 31 | 1% | ← Brown Sugar | |
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 615 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 Improvement necessary
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Brown Sugar the inspector recorded concerns over the condition of the premises and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Brown Sugar, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesham Community Fridge Retailers - other | at this address | 5 - Very good | 12 December 2018 |
| Broadway Newsagents Retailers - other | 105 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 February 2011 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 127 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 April 2025 |
| Greggs Retailers - other | 127 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 February 2025 |
| Jasmine Thai Kitchen Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 127 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 May 2025 |
| Boots UK Ltd Retailers - other | 161 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 March 2010 |
| Burger Inn Takeaway/sandwich shop | 173 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 June 2024 |
| Chesham Food and Wine Retailers - other | 233 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 January 2018 |
Questions about Brown Sugar
What is Brown Sugar's food hygiene rating?
Brown Sugar has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Buckinghamshire Council on 21 April 2026.
Is Brown Sugar safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Brown Sugar last inspected?
Brown Sugar was last inspected on 21 April 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Buckinghamshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Brown Sugar?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Brown Sugar compare to other places in Buckinghamshire?
81% of the 4,001 rated food businesses in Buckinghamshire hold the top rating of 5, while Brown Sugar holds a 1. 31 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Buckinghamshire Council inspects Brown Sugar 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 Brown Sugar 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 →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Buckinghamshire, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Buckinghamshire
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Brown Sugar is one of 138 rated food businesses in Chesham. See every hygiene rating in Chesham →
Buckinghamshire inspects and rates 4,616 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Buckinghamshire →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.buckinghamshire.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 →