Blog

Practical writing on inspections, ratings and running a safe kitchen — from someone who's done the job.

Inspection & ratings

The best digital SFBB and food safety apps in 2026 — an honest comparison

The categories of food-safety software on the market, what actually matters, and why Rated5 comes out ahead — checked 17/07/2026.

Inspection & ratings

What EHOs actually look at in your diary

The inspection isn't a mystery. Officers work through the same SFBB sections you do — what they check first, and why gaps matter most.

Running the kitchen

The four-weekly review, without the dread

The review exists to catch drift before the EHO does. Ten minutes, once a month — here's a routine that actually sticks.

Running the kitchen

Cooling: the check kitchens most often miss

Cooked, covered, forgotten. Why the 90-minute cooling window slips through busy services, and how to make it automatic.

Product updates

An optional HACCP module, for premises that need it

Some premises need full HACCP rather than SFBB. The new module lets you build your hazard plan in Rated5 and keep the same daily logging.

Inspection & ratings

How food hygiene ratings are scored

Hygiene, structure, and confidence in management — the three scores behind the sticker, and why the third one is where diaries matter.

Running the kitchen

Probe calibration in two minutes

Ice point, boiling point, done. A weekly habit that makes every reading in your diary defensible.

Product updates

Inspection mode: read-only, on purpose

Why the screen you hand the EHO can't edit anything — and how that builds confidence in your records.

Keep your 5.

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