A new report has shown that Chinese takeaways are likely to be the least hygienic food cuisines in Wiltshire, with an average 3.83 out of five rating.

In contrast, pizza restaurants are likely the most hygienic, with a 4.94 average rating.

From worst to best, here are how many stars are given on average to the different food cuisines in the county:

  • Chinese takeaway:3.83
  • Indian takeaway: 3.96
  • Indian restaurant: 4.10
  • Fish and chips takeaway: 4.21
  • Pizza takeaway: 4.33
  • Kebab shop: 4.40
  • Pub: 4.49
  • Fast food restaurant: 4.50
  • Gastropub: 4.50
  • Café: 4.57
  • Takeaway: 4.58
  • Italian restaurant: 4.60
  • Restaurant: 4.63
  • Coffee shop: 4.72
  • Sandwich shop: 4.75
  • Bakery: 4.80
  • Bar: 4.85
  • Caterer: 4.93
  • Tea room: 4.93
  • Pizza restaurant:4.94

Pantry & Larder analysed more than 150,000 UK restaurants, takeaways, cafes, and pubs for its 2022 UK Food Hygiene Report.

Veronica Fletcher who founded Pantry and Larger told this newspaper: “Generally takeaways do a lot worse than restaurants because with a takeaway you have to get the food out faster.

“This means staff have less time to focus on making sure everything’s tidied away properly and things like that which makes it harder for them to get the top hygiene rating.”

When asked if people should make their decision on where to eat based on a food hygiene rating, Veronica noted: “I would look at the ratings because they’re being inspected for a reason.

“If a rating is not so great the risk to you is that you will get sick. Ratings don’t have to be displayed in England so it’s worth considering before making your choice.

“If I saw a restaurant had a five-star rating I’d have no qualms about going in. But if I saw it had a three I’d probably still eat there but it would make me question if there was somewhere closeby with a higher rating.”

Pantry and Larder’s report also found that cities and dense urban areas tend to score lower on average than their rural counterparts.

Greater London and the West Midlands are the regions with the worst average rating in the UK at 4.27 and 4.29 respectively.

Every region in Northern Ireland scores above the national average of 4.43. 

The report stated: ‘Perhaps it has something to do with businesses in Northern Ireland being legally required to display their food hygiene rating since 2006.

‘That said, it’s also mandatory to display food hygiene ratings in Wales, which is home to three of the UK’s top ten least hygienic areas.’

To obtain average ratings for different categories of restaurants, the report cross-referenced official FSA hygiene rating data with each restaurant’s Google Business Profile business type.