The Dabbling Duck food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Guildford
The Dabbling Duck 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 31 January 2025, 17 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: The Dabbling Duck Middle Street, Shere, GU5 9HF
How it compares in Guildford
In Guildford, 82% of rated places manage a 5, so The Dabbling Duck sits behind roughly 821 nearby businesses. 14% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 821 | 82% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 141 | 14% | ← The Dabbling Duck | |
| 3 out of 5 | 37 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 3 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 132 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 Very 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 Dabbling Duck 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 Dabbling Duck, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shere Delights Retailers - other | at this address | 5 - Very good | 24 April 2025 |
| Welcome Shere Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | at this address | 4 - Good | 18 October 2024 |
| Surrey Hills Beer & Gin Company Retailers - other | at this address | Exempt | |
| Hillys Tea Shop Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 85 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 December 2024 |
| Crumbs Shere Retailers - other | 95 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 July 2024 |
| Twelve15 at Shere Infant School School/college/university | 124 yards away | 5 - Very good | 21 January 2026 |
| The White Horse Pub/bar/nightclub | 148 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 December 2024 |
| The William Bray Pub/bar/nightclub | 148 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 October 2025 |
Questions about The Dabbling Duck
What is The Dabbling Duck's food hygiene rating?
The Dabbling Duck has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Guildford Council on 31 January 2025.
Is The Dabbling Duck 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 Dabbling Duck last inspected?
The Dabbling Duck was last inspected on 31 January 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Guildford Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Dabbling Duck?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very 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 Dabbling Duck compare to other places in Guildford?
82% of the 1,007 rated food businesses in Guildford hold the top rating of 5, while The Dabbling Duck holds a 4. 141 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Guildford Council inspects The Dabbling Duck 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 Dabbling Duck 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 Dabbling Duck is one of 15 rated food businesses in Shere. See every hygiene rating in Shere →
Guildford inspects and rates 1,139 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Guildford →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.guildford.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 →