The Exchange Tea Room food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · West Lindsey
The Exchange Tea Room 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 9 December 2025, 7 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: North Street
How it compares in West Lindsey
In West Lindsey, 84% of rated places manage a 5, so The Exchange Tea Room sits behind roughly 598 nearby businesses. 8% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 598 | 84% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 55 | 8% | ← The Exchange Tea Room | |
| 3 out of 5 | 34 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 19 | 3% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 3 | <1% |
A further 166 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 The Exchange Tea Room 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.
Questions about The Exchange Tea Room
What is The Exchange Tea Room's food hygiene rating?
The Exchange Tea Room has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by West Lindsey Council on 9 December 2025.
Is The Exchange Tea Room 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 Exchange Tea Room last inspected?
The Exchange Tea Room was last inspected on 9 December 2025, 7 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by West Lindsey Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Exchange Tea Room?
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 The Exchange Tea Room compare to other places in West Lindsey?
84% of the 709 rated food businesses in West Lindsey hold the top rating of 5, while The Exchange Tea Room holds a 4. 55 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
West Lindsey Council inspects The Exchange Tea Room 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 Exchange Tea Room 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 Exchange Tea Room is one of 260 rated food businesses in Gainsborough. See every hygiene rating in Gainsborough →
West Lindsey inspects and rates 875 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in West Lindsey →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.west-lindsey.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 →