3

Abbey Friar food hygiene rating

Takeaway/sandwich shop · Dorset

Abbey Friar holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The takeaway met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.

The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory

The rating dates from 13 March 2025, 16 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: 257 Westbury, Sherborne, DT9 3EH

How it compares in Dorset

In Dorset, 96% of rated places manage a 5, so Abbey Friar sits behind roughly 3,951 nearby businesses. 1% of the borough shares its 3.

Every rated food business in Dorset
5 out of 5 3,813 96%
4 out of 5 138 3%
3 out of 5 33 1% ← Abbey Friar
2 out of 5 5 <1%
1 out of 5 3 <1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 1,126 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

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 Abbey Friar 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 Abbey Friar, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Britannia Inn Pub/bar/nightclub 2 yards away 5 - Very good 12 February 2026
Sherborne Abbey Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 54 yards away 5 - Very good 11 April 2025
The Digby Tap Pub/bar/nightclub 55 yards away 5 - Very good 12 March 2026
The Danish Pantry Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 55 yards away 5 - Very good 11 June 2026
Sherborne Community Kitchen Other catering premises 97 yards away 5 - Very good 2 February 2026
Tamburino Gold Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 100 yards away 5 - Very good 12 February 2026
Half Moon Inn Pub/bar/nightclub 118 yards away 5 - Very good 19 August 2025
Plume of Feathers Pub/bar/nightclub 118 yards away 5 - Very good 9 January 2026

Questions about Abbey Friar

What is Abbey Friar's food hygiene rating?

Abbey Friar has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Dorset Council on 13 March 2025.

Is Abbey Friar safe to eat at?

A 3 means the takeaway met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.

When was Abbey Friar last inspected?

Abbey Friar was last inspected on 13 March 2025, 16 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dorset Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Abbey Friar?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does Abbey Friar compare to other places in Dorset?

96% of the 3,992 rated food businesses in Dorset hold the top rating of 5, while Abbey Friar holds a 3. 33 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Dorset Council inspects Abbey Friar 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 Abbey Friar and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Abbey Friar is one of 127 rated food businesses in Sherborne. See every hygiene rating in Sherborne

Dorset inspects and rates 5,118 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dorset

The official record is held by the council: https://www.dorsetcouncil.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 →