Horsham district's 36 hygiene ratings for August and September: 32 fives, three 4s and a 3 for the Royal Oak at Wineham. No business in the district is rated 0.
Horsham district’s food businesses received 36 hygiene ratings in August and September 2026, and 32 of them were the top score of 5. Three businesses were rated 4 and one was rated 3. The figures come from the Food Standards Agency’s register, read on 2 October (FSA food hygiene ratings).
Across the whole district, no food business is currently rated 0, and only four are rated 1.
Why the lower scores arrive late
A 5 goes on the register as soon as the council uploads it. A rating from 0 to 4 is held back for three to five weeks after the inspection, so the business has time to appeal (FSA guidance for businesses). That means the most recent weeks always look better than they are. Lower ratings from mid and late September may not appear until later in October.
It also means our July report was wrong to call July “a perfect month”. On 6 August the register showed 24 July ratings, all 5s. It now shows 31, including two 3s that were published later. We have added a note to that report.
The ratings below 5
| Business | Where | Rated | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Royal Oak | Wineham Lane, Wineham | 3, generally satisfactory | 12 August |
| Beeches Buffet | East Mews, East Street, Horsham | 4, good | 4 August |
| Babylon Charcoal Grill | Freshwater Parade, Bishopric, Horsham | 4, good | 1 September |
| Ifield Golf Club | Rusper Road, Ifield | 4, good | 1 September |
The register also breaks each rating into three parts: food hygiene and safety, the structure of the building, and how food safety is managed. The Royal Oak was marked “generally satisfactory” on all three. Beeches Buffet’s food handling was rated “very good”, the top mark. Ifield Golf Club’s building was rated “very good”, while its food handling was “good”. Each business’s register entry shows the full breakdown.
Every business has the right to appeal a rating within 21 days, to publish a reply on the register, and to ask for a re-inspection once it has made improvements (FSA guidance). None of the four had published a reply when we checked.
The fives: nurseries, a leisure centre and the town’s takeaways
September was a month for schools and nurseries, inspected as the new term began. Fives went to:
- Horsham Nursery School on Harwood Road
- Greenway Nursery and Rainbow Club at Greenway Academy
- Bright Horizons Horsham Day Nursery at Wickhurst Square, Broadbridge Heath
- Little Barn Owls Forest School Nursery on Easteds Lane, Southwater
- The Hub at Slinfold C of E School
In Horsham town, Fireaway on East Street, Panda House on the Bishopric, The Master Fryer on Fitzalan Road, Tiffin Story on Crawley Road, Drewbell Pizza on Springfield Road and The Bedford on Station Road all scored 5. So did Max’s Diner on Langhurst Wood Road.
Out in the district, the 5s included:
- The Bridge Leisure Centre, Broadbridge Heath
- Random Hall Hotel on Stane Street, Slinfold
- The White Lion, Thakeham
- West Sussex Golf Club, Wiggonholt
- Warnham Village Stores
- Pizza and Chicken Planet on Station Road, Billingshurst
- Steyning Community Table and Steyning Methodist Centre
- two care homes, Hillside Lodge in Pulborough and Broadbridge Park in Broadbridge Heath
- Durrants Village Food Service at Faygate
Mobile caterer The Syrian Kitchen was rated 5 on 14 September.
The district as a whole
The register lists 1,342 food businesses in the Horsham District Council area. Of the 1,171 with a numeric rating:
- 1,059 are rated 5, about nine in ten
- 85 are rated 4
- 17 are rated 3
- 6 are rated 2
- 4 are rated 1
- none is rated 0
Another 148 are awaiting their first inspection and 23 are exempt.
What it means for you
A rating is a snapshot of what the inspector found on the day. A 3 is “generally satisfactory”, not a fail. Before you book or order, check the business’s current entry on the FSA register, because a re-inspection can change the score. Businesses in Horsham district are inspected by Horsham District Council’s environmental health team. For other local information, see our guides to bin collection days and parking in Horsham.
Sources
- Food Standards Agency food hygiene rating register, Horsham District Council area, read via the FSA’s open data API on 2 October 2026; each business is linked above
- FSA: food hygiene rating scheme guidance for businesses (publication timing, appeals and right to reply)
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