Meat Feast Co on St Johns Hill was rated 1 in September. All 13 October ratings published so far are 5s, from Lidl Edenbridge to seven school and nursery kitchens.

A retailer on St Johns Hill in Sevenoaks has been given a food hygiene rating of 1, which means “major improvement necessary”. Meat Feast Co Ltd, at 123 St Johns Hill, was inspected on 7 September. The rating has only now appeared on the Food Standards Agency register. (FSA register, Meat Feast Co Ltd)

It is the lowest score from a September inspection in the district. Every October rating published so far is a 5, the top mark. There are 13 of them. (Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating data API, Sevenoaks authority)

September’s late list

When we reported September’s ratings on 6 October, 27 had been published, all 5s. The register now holds 52 September ratings. Forty-four are 5s, and eight are lower.

That gap is normal. A business given less than 5 has 21 days to appeal before its rating is published, so top scores appear first and lower ones follow weeks later. (Food Standards Agency, Food Hygiene Rating Scheme guidance for businesses)

Each rating is built from three scores: how food is handled, the condition of the premises, and how food safety is managed. These are the September ratings below 5, as the register records them:

  • Meat Feast Co Ltd, 123 St Johns Hill, Sevenoaks: rated 1 on 7 September. Food handling was recorded as “major improvement necessary”, the premises as “improvement necessary” and management as “generally satisfactory”. The register lists it as a retailer. (FSA register, Meat Feast Co Ltd)
  • The Bagel Shop, 24A London Road, Sevenoaks: rated 3 on 24 September, “generally satisfactory” in all three areas. (FSA register, The Bagel Shop)
  • Sevenoaks Food & Wine, 153 High Street, Sevenoaks: rated 4 on 7 September. (FSA register, Sevenoaks Food & Wine)
  • The Plough Inn, Riverside, Eynsford: rated 4 on 11 September. (FSA register, The Plough Inn)
  • Qissa, Carlton Parade, St Johns Hill, Sevenoaks: rated 4 on 16 September. (FSA register, Qissa)
  • Oakley Day Nursery And Preschool, Rockdale Road, Sevenoaks: rated 4 on 15 September. (FSA register, Oakley Day Nursery)
  • Rajdani, London Road, West Kingsdown: rated 4 on 28 September. (FSA register, Rajdani)
  • Jenny’s Whisk And Wish, a home-based caterer the register lists by postcode area only (TN8): rated 4 on 10 September.

A 4 means “good”. A rating records one inspection on one day. Every business can appeal, publish a right to reply on the register, or ask for a re-visit once it has made improvements. None of the eight has a right to reply on the register. (Food Standards Agency, FHRS guidance for businesses)

October’s 5s

All from the FSA register for the Sevenoaks authority, pulled on 3 November 2026:

Date Business Where
1 Oct Cygnet Hospital Godden Green
1 Oct Normans Butchers High Street, Eynsford
1 Oct The Light Global (mobile caterer) Station Works, Rye Lane, Dunton Green
9 Oct Lidl Ramac Retail Park, Edenbridge
14 Oct Nourish Contract Catering @ Seal Primary School Zambra Way, Seal
19 Oct Independent Catering Management @ Otford Primary School High Street, Otford
19 Oct Little Treacles Nursery Otford Church Hall, High Street, Otford
21 Oct Little Oaks Preschool By Tots Teachers Sevenoaks Primary School, Bradbourne Park Road
21 Oct Otford Nursery School High Street, Otford
22 Oct Caterlink @ Anthony Roper Primary School High Street, Eynsford
28 Oct Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Sevenoaks Amherst Hill, Riverhead

Two more 5s went to sellers the register lists by postcode area only: Matterial (TN11) and The Baker Mobile Pizza Van (TN14).

Four of October’s 5s scored the best possible mark on all three measures: Lidl in Edenbridge, The Baker Mobile Pizza Van, the Caterlink kitchen at Anthony Roper Primary and Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery. (FSA register, Lidl Edenbridge; FSA register, Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Sevenoaks; FSA register, Caterlink @ Anthony Roper Primary School)

As with September, October’s clean sheet is provisional. Any lower scores from inspections in the second half of the month are still inside their appeal window.

The district as a whole

Bar chart of food hygiene ratings across the Sevenoaks district on 3 November 2026: 708 premises rated 5, 103 rated 4, 46 rated 3, 11 rated 2, 6 rated 1 and 2 rated 0
Chart by Sevenoaks Online
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The register holds 966 premises for the district. Of those, 876 carry a rating, 48 are awaiting their first inspection and 42 are exempt.

Among the rated premises:

  • 708 hold a 5, up from 698 a month ago
  • 103 hold a 4
  • 46 hold a 3
  • 11 hold a 2
  • 6 hold a 1, up from 5; Meat Feast Co is the addition
  • 2 hold a 0

That puts 93 per cent of rated premises at 4 or better, against 92 per cent a month ago. (Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating data API, Sevenoaks authority)

What it means for you

Check the place and the date. Search the FSA register by name or postcode for the rating, the inspection date and the three component scores. A monthly list, ours included, stays provisional for weeks.

Businesses in England do not have to display their sticker, so an empty window tells you nothing. A place that has changed hands starts again with no rating until its first inspection.

Concerns about a food business in the district go to Sevenoaks District Council’s environmental health team. (Sevenoaks District Council, report food hygiene concerns)

Our business directory lists restaurants, cafes and takeaways by area, and we cover the district’s pubs and afternoon teas.

Sources

Graphic and chart by Sevenoaks Online.

Figures in this article were taken from the FSA ratings API for the Sevenoaks authority (local authority ID 255) on 3 November 2026.