HenKinz on London Road and a mobile caterer at Brick Knoll Park were rated 1. Of 72 ratings dated September and October, 60 are fives. Full list inside.
Two food businesses in St Albans district were rated 1, “major improvement necessary”, in September. Neither rating was on the public register a month ago.
Most of the news is good. Of the 72 ratings dated September and October 2026, 60 are fives, the top score. Waitrose on Ermine Close, Morrisons on Hatfield Road, The Garibaldi and the Jolly Sailor all earned one.
We read the Food Standards Agency register for the St Albans City authority on 2 November. The newest rating on it is dated 20 October.
The two rated 1
HenKinz, a takeaway at 124 London Road, St Albans, was rated 1 on 10 September 2026.
Gulyas Garden Ltd, which also trades as The Food Stamp, is listed as a mobile caterer at Brick Knoll Park, Ashley Road. It was rated 1 on 21 September 2026.
Ratings are built from three separate scores. On this scale a higher number is worse. Both businesses scored the same:
- 10 for hygienic food handling
- 20 for the condition of the structure, which covers cleanliness, layout, lighting and pest control
- 20 for confidence in management, which covers the business’s own food safety systems and records
Neither entry carries a right-to-reply statement or shows a new rating pending, as of 2 November.
A business can appeal its rating within 21 days, publish a reply on the register, or ask for a re-inspection once it has made improvements. The Food Standards Agency explains how.
How the 72 ratings break down
- 5, very good: 60
- 4, good: 6
- 3, generally satisfactory: 4
- 2, improvement necessary: none
- 1, major improvement necessary: 2
- 0, urgent improvement necessary: none
The register runs weeks behind
When we last read the register on 5 October, every rating dated in September was a five. That is no longer true. Both 1s, all five 4s and all four 3s dated in September were published after that.
The register now holds 72 ratings dated from 7 August to 24 September, against 48 when we read it in October. A rating can take three weeks or more to appear, so October’s figures will grow too.
Rated 3 and 4 in September
| Date | Business | Address | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep | Busy Bees @ Leyton Road | 23 Leyton Road, Harpenden | 4 |
| 4 Sep | Quantum Care @ Fosse House | Ermine Close, St Albans | 4 |
| 8 Sep | Radlett Road Service Station | 51 Radlett Road, Frogmore | 3 |
| 12 Sep | Med Grill | 83 Hatfield Road, St Albans | 3 |
| 15 Sep | Gourmet Kitchen | 22 Beech Road, St Albans | 4 |
| 17 Sep | Sala Thai Kitchen | 5A High Street, St Albans | 4 |
| 22 Sep | Twinkle Stars Montessori Nursery | 11 Hatfield Road, St Albans | 4 |
| 24 Sep | The Shaken Cow | 2A Vaughan Road, Harpenden | 3 |
| 25 Sep | The Old Bell | 177 Luton Road, Harpenden | 3 |
A 3 means “generally satisfactory” and a 4 means “good”. Both are pass marks.
The newest ratings, 26 September to 20 October
| Date | Business | Address | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep | Omusubi Kitchen | AL2 (no street address on the register) | 5 |
| 26 Sep | The Garibaldi | 61 Albert Street, St Albans | 5 |
| 29 Sep | Morrisons | 244 Hatfield Road, St Albans | 5 |
| 30 Sep | Jolly Sailor | Stonecross, St Albans | 5 |
| 1 Oct | Mid-Herts Golf Club | Gustard Wood, Wheathampstead | 5 |
| 1 Oct | The White Horse, also Daddy’s Dim Sum | 182 High Street, London Colney | 5 |
| 1 Oct | Waitrose | 1 Ermine Close, St Albans | 5 |
| 5 Oct | Daniel’s | 415 Hatfield Road, St Albans | 5 |
| 5 Oct | Megan’s Restaurant | The Bell Hotel, 22 Chequer Street, St Albans | 5 |
| 5 Oct | Prime Steak and Grill | 83-85 London Road, St Albans | 5 |
| 5 Oct | Rising Stars (Redbourn) | Spectrum House, Dunstable Road, Redbourn | 5 |
| 5 Oct | Sarakh | 2 Grove Road, Harpenden | 5 |
| 5 Oct | Spice 85 | 85 Old Watford Road, Bricket Wood | 5 |
| 6 Oct | Bakes by Becca | AL3 (no street address on the register) | 5 |
| 6 Oct | Phoenix Barber Co | 69A The Quadrant, St Albans | 5 |
| 10 Oct | Chiswell Residential Home | AL2 (no street address on the register) | 5 |
| 10 Oct | Giggle Grove | 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans | 5 |
| 10 Oct | Harpenden Rovers Youth FC | Acres Corner, Harpenden Common | 5 |
| 12 Oct | Allington Court Care Home (Bupa) | Lye Lane, Bricket Wood | 5 |
| 12 Oct | Everyone Active, Cottonmill Community Centre | Cottonmill Lane, St Albans | 5 |
| 13 Oct | Sear | 17 Station Road, Harpenden | 5 |
| 17 Oct | Brimarks | 4 Mill Walk, Wheathampstead | 5 |
| 19 Oct | HCL Catering, The Grove Infant School | Dark Lane, Harpenden | 5 |
| 19 Oct | Lebanese Kitchen | 64A Stanhope Road, St Albans | 4 |
| 20 Oct | Brad and Dills | 67 High Street, Harpenden | 5 |
Brad and Dills also holds a five, dated 22 September, for its restaurant at 23A Leyton Road.
The district’s lowest ratings
Two premises in the district still hold a zero. Deli-Fayre Ltd, a retailer listed only under AL5, was rated zero on 17 August. Spud Kingz @ Housing 21 at Lea Springs, Harpenden, has held its zero since 9 June. Neither shows a new rating pending.
Lussmanns Harpenden still holds the 2 it was given on 12 August.
What it means for you
- Check before you order. Every rating is on the FSA site, and businesses in England do not have to display theirs.
- A rating is a snapshot. It reflects the day of the inspection. Both businesses rated 1 can ask for a re-inspection once they have made changes.
- To report a concern about a food business, contact St Albans City and District Council’s food safety team, which carries out the inspections.
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