Lakeside cafe food hygiene rating

The rating: 5 - Very good

This is a fresh result: Lakeside cafe was inspected on 12 August 2026, so the rating reflects what the inspector found very recently.

95% of rated food businesses in Epping Forest score 4 or 5, so this is a normal, good result for the area. See all Epping Forest ratings →

Address: Lakeside Cafe Southend Farm, Southend Lane, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3SE

How this rating has changed

Lakeside cafe has improved: it was rated 4 before its inspection on 12 August 2026, and now holds a 5. That is the highest rating the scheme awards.

The FSA publishes only a business's current rating. This history is our own record of what it has scored since we began watching.

How it compares in Epping Forest

That puts Lakeside cafe among the 757 places in Epping Forest holding top marks, 84% 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 Epping Forest

5 out of 5		757	84%	← Lakeside cafe
4 out of 5		95	11%
3 out of 5		32	4%
2 out of 5		6	1%
1 out of 5		13	1%
0 out of 5		0	0%

A further 139 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

• Hygienic food handling Very good
• Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
• How well they manage food safety Very good

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 Lakeside cafe 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.

Understanding this rating

• What does a 0 food hygiene rating mean? A 0 means the inspector found serious problems and urgent improvement is necessary. It is the lowest rating the scheme gives, but it is not a closure order, and a business with a 0 can, and usually does, keep trading while it puts things right.
• Does a low hygiene rating mean the food is unsafe? A low rating tells you that an inspector found problems on a particular day. It is not a measurement of the food, it is not a prediction, and it is not a verdict on whether you will get ill. It is the best single signal a member of the public has, and it is a snapshot.
• Does a business have to display its hygiene rating? It depends where you are. In Wales and Northern Ireland a food business must display its rating where you can read it before you go in. In England it is voluntary, a business there can legally show you nothing.

More food hygiene ratings near here

Lakeside cafe is one of 167 rated food businesses in Waltham Abbey. See every hygiene rating in Waltham Abbey →

Epping Forest inspects and rates 1,042 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Epping Forest →

The official record is held by the council: http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk