First Friends food hygiene rating
Caring Premises · Blaenau Gwent
First Friends holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The care premises 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
This is a fresh result: First Friends was inspected on 21 May 2026, so the rating reflects what the inspector found very recently.
Address: Attlee Way, Cefn Golau, NP22 3TD
How it compares in Blaenau Gwent
In Blaenau Gwent, 50% of rated places manage a 5, so First Friends sits behind roughly 484 nearby businesses. 12% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 299 | 50% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 185 | 31% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 73 | 12% | ← First Friends | |
| 2 out of 5 | 17 | 3% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 19 | 3% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 70 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 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 First Friends 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 First Friends, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cefn Golau Store Retailers - other | at this address | 5 - Very good | 12 October 2023 |
| Cefn Golau Together Distributors/Transporters | 40 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 October 2024 |
| Flying Start Pantry Retailers - other | 134 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 December 2025 |
| Bedwellty Park Bowling Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 11 March 2019 |
| Best Kebab & Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 September 2025 |
| Circle Store Premier Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 2 June 2025 |
| Bedwellty Park Residential Home Caring Premises | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 2 February 2026 |
| Cymru Creations Distributors/Transporters | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 4 August 2023 |
Questions about First Friends
What is First Friends's food hygiene rating?
First Friends has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Blaenau Gwent Council on 21 May 2026.
Is First Friends safe to eat at?
A 3 means the care premises 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 First Friends last inspected?
First Friends was last inspected on 21 May 2026, a month ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Blaenau Gwent Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at First Friends?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", 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 First Friends compare to other places in Blaenau Gwent?
50% of the 594 rated food businesses in Blaenau Gwent hold the top rating of 5, while First Friends holds a 3. 73 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Blaenau Gwent Council inspects First Friends 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 First Friends and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
First Friends is one of 130 rated food businesses in Tredegar. See every hygiene rating in Tredegar →
Blaenau Gwent inspects and rates 664 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Blaenau Gwent →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.blaenau-gwent.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 →