Old Town Artichoke food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dacorum
Old Town Artichoke 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 27 May 2025, 13 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: 55 High Street, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3AF
How it compares in Dacorum
In Dacorum, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so Old Town Artichoke sits behind roughly 864 nearby businesses. 17% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 864 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 192 | 17% | ← Old Town Artichoke | |
| 3 out of 5 | 55 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 6 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 137 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 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 Old Town Artichoke 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 Old Town Artichoke, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee and Wine Other catering premises | 125 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 July 2024 |
| Cloud Calls Retailers - other | 357 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 July 2024 |
| Aramark at West Herts College Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 373 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 November 2024 |
| Alexandra Care Home Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 20 April 2026 |
| Alexandra Guest House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 May 2025 |
| Butterflies and Rainbows pre school Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 4 March 2026 |
| Carey Baptist Church Other catering premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 February 2024 |
| Carlss Express (Londis) Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 26 April 2023 |
Questions about Old Town Artichoke
What is Old Town Artichoke's food hygiene rating?
Old Town Artichoke has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Dacorum Council on 27 May 2025.
Is Old Town Artichoke 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 Old Town Artichoke last inspected?
Old Town Artichoke was last inspected on 27 May 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dacorum Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Old Town Artichoke?
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 "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Old Town Artichoke compare to other places in Dacorum?
77% of the 1,123 rated food businesses in Dacorum hold the top rating of 5, while Old Town Artichoke holds a 4. 192 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dacorum Council inspects Old Town Artichoke 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 Old Town Artichoke and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Old Town Artichoke is one of 634 rated food businesses in Hemel Hempstead. See every hygiene rating in Hemel Hempstead →
Dacorum inspects and rates 1,260 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dacorum →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.dacorum.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 →