Spelthorne Council and the Food Standards Agency are calling on people to check the food hygiene ratings of restaurants before booking meals out with family and friends this Christmas.

Christmas is a time to enjoy good company and good food without worrying about food poisoning. But the truth is, you can’t tell a restaurant’s hygiene standards by how clean and tidy the staff look or by how busy it is. It’s the things you can’t see - like germs spread by bad hygiene practices - that you need to consider.

There’s one easy way to set your mind at rest - check the food hygiene rating. This shows the score the business was given by Spelthorne Council’s Environmental Health staff after its last food hygiene inspection.

Currently in Spelthorne an impressive 93% of food businesses are rated satisfactory, good or very good. 55% of these businesses have achieved the top rating ‘very good’.

To check the food hygiene rating before you eat out this Christmas, visit the Food Standards Agency website http://ratings.food.gov.uk/authority-search/spelthorne