Skylark Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Braintree
Skylark Cafe 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 July 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: Discovery Centre, Great Notley Garden Village, London Road, CM77 7FS
How it compares in Braintree
In Braintree, 85% of rated places manage a 5, so Skylark Cafe sits behind roughly 980 nearby businesses. 11% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 980 | 85% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 125 | 11% | ← Skylark Cafe | |
| 3 out of 5 | 34 | 3% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 8 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 111 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 Skylark 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.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Skylark Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 November 2025 |
| Busy Bees At Great Notley, Braintree Caring Premises | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 April 2026 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 27 September 2024 |
| Cafe Plaza Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 24 September 2024 |
| Dominos Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 29 January 2026 |
| BP Braintree SFC Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2024 |
| King William IV PH Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 21 March 2018 |
Questions about Skylark Cafe
What is Skylark Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Skylark Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Braintree Council on 31 July 2025.
Is Skylark Cafe 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 Skylark Cafe last inspected?
Skylark Cafe was last inspected on 31 July 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Braintree Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Skylark Cafe?
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 Skylark Cafe compare to other places in Braintree?
85% of the 1,156 rated food businesses in Braintree hold the top rating of 5, while Skylark Cafe holds a 4. 125 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Braintree Council inspects Skylark Cafe 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 Skylark Cafe and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Skylark Cafe is one of 25 rated food businesses in Great Notley. See every hygiene rating in Great Notley →
Braintree inspects and rates 1,267 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Braintree →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.braintree.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 →