TEN businesses all in the same town were recently awarded five star ratings for their food hygiene in a recent inspection.

The latest round of food hygiene ratings in Crawley saw all ten businesses that were assessed rated five out of five, the Food Standards Agency’s website shows.

There was a range of businesses, from independent restaurants and cafes, to well-known chains that recently got the ranking in Crawley.

The Food Standards Agency rating system covers five different factors – the handling of the food, how food is stored, how food is prepared, cleanliness of facilities and how food safety is managed.

Among the businesses awarded the highest possible mark was Si’s Cuppa-Love Horsebox café in Worth Corner Business Park, which has been open just a month. The business got the five star rating on November 4.

Simon Trussell, 41, from Crawley set up the business last month after seeing the opportunity to start a new venture and has not looked back.

He said how he “lost everything” when his work as a photographer stopped due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

Simon said: “It’s been quite a rough time the last 18 months just adapting, learning how to live and move forward career-wise. This opportunity came up because I was helping the original owners of the horse box with decorating.

“I kept tabs on the box after they moved abroad and no one else was taking over the horse box, so I decided to pick up the reins where they left off and set it up within about two to three weeks.

“I have been catching up and promoting it since then really.”

The Argus: He opened the business a month ago.He opened the business a month ago.

Simon said the Food Standards Agency’s safer food and better business guidance online was helpful in securing the top rating for his new business.

He said: “It’s important to set up and gain the knowledge to move forward confidently, I wanted to make sure we had everything right. It was really important to get the food safety level to certification.

“But what was really good was the safer food and better business for retailers pact provided by the council, that was amazing and really helpful. It was a big part of getting the rating.

“Especially dealing with milk, it’s important you know about temperatures and keeping notes, things like that so everything is safe for customers.”

A council spokesman said the five-star rating gives businesses the opportunity to “gain a good reputation” for high safety standards.

The spokesman said: “Food hygiene ratings ensure customers know how well a business manages hygiene and food safety, while also helping businesses see what they are doing well and where they need to improve.

“Every business has the potential to earn a five-star food hygiene rating and gain a good reputation for food hygiene and safety standards.”

The full list of the businesses in Crawley that got the five star rating can be seen here:

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.