So, as we’re a proper company doing everything by the book- we registered with Mid Sussex Council before we launched and at the end of May 2026 we were finally visited by a really helpful and insightful individual from the council’s Environmental Health Department (who even had some amazing suggestions for a few editions of ‘But Does It Smoke Good?‘).
They had a look around the smokehouse, checked the legitimacy of qualifications, nosed through our stock, poked around in our processes, checked our temperatures, scrutinised our paperwork… and only went and gave us a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5.
Yes, you’re right- that is the highest score possible. Well spotted.
For a small-batch operation run out of a home kitchen, this is huge. It’s more than just a box-ticking exercise to go through before the latest franchise branch opens. It means the care we put into how we make things- not just what we make- is up to scratch in the eyes of the people who matter (legally speaking- you’re the most important of all, of course, paying customer bats lashes). Our SFBB records, HACCP, the batch logs, our cleaning schedules, the temperature checks. The lot.
Cold smoking is a low-risk process, but it still demands discipline. We take that seriously. We’re delighted that the council agrees.
The rating will show up on the Food Standards Agency website once the admin’s been done and the necessary forms have been filed but we weren’t waiting to share the news.
When you buy from Sussex Smokehouse, you’re buying from somewhere that does things properly. We have from our inception and we always will. Now we’ve got the paperwork to prove it.
If you would like to buy some smoked nuts with the knowledge that they were prepared in a cleaner environment than your local chicken shop, now you can! Just click here. A world of hygienically prepared delights awaits you… AND you can get some pounds off your order if you use the code CLEAN when you do (code expires 14th June 2026 so get your skates on).
