The Forest Cafe Sway food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · New Forest
The Forest Cafe Sway holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant 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 1 August 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: 3 Middle Road, SWAY, Lymington, SO41 6BB
How it compares in New Forest
In New Forest, 80% of rated places manage a 5, so The Forest Cafe Sway sits behind roughly 1,153 nearby businesses. 13% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,153 | 80% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 183 | 13% | ← The Forest Cafe Sway | |
| 3 out of 5 | 69 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 6 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 23 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 138 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
- 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 Forest Cafe Sway 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 Forest Cafe Sway, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Shack Co Ltd Mobile caterer | 121 yards away | 5 - Very good | 30 July 2024 |
| Sway Butchers Retailers - other | 169 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 January 2026 |
| St Lukes C of E Primary School School/college/university | 377 yards away | 5 - Very good | 21 January 2026 |
| The Co-OP Sway Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 422 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 January 2025 |
| Community Cafe Other catering premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 14 January 2025 |
| Sway Luncheon Club Other catering premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 7 May 2025 |
| Sway Place - Care UK Limited Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 June 2026 |
| Hare and Hounds Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 7 November 2024 |
Questions about The Forest Cafe Sway
What is The Forest Cafe Sway's food hygiene rating?
The Forest Cafe Sway has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by New Forest Council on 1 August 2025.
Is The Forest Cafe Sway 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 restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Forest Cafe Sway last inspected?
The Forest Cafe Sway was last inspected on 1 August 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by New Forest Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Forest Cafe Sway?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Forest Cafe Sway compare to other places in New Forest?
80% of the 1,435 rated food businesses in New Forest hold the top rating of 5, while The Forest Cafe Sway holds a 4. 183 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
New Forest Council inspects The Forest Cafe Sway 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 Forest Cafe Sway 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 Forest Cafe Sway is one of 252 rated food businesses in Lymington. See every hygiene rating in Lymington →
New Forest inspects and rates 1,573 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in New Forest →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.newforest.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 →