Woman With Mint Allergy Hospitalised

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has warned restaurants to be more vigilant when preparing food after a woman had to be taken to hospital when she suffered a severe allergic reaction whilst eating at a pub in Leicester.

Katie King, 25, from Leicester, ordered lamb chops at the Bees Knees Public House, and despite having warned the restaurant staff she was allergic to mint she was still served lamb infused with mint.

Miss King was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary, where she was diagnosed and treated for anaphylactic shock.

King said: “As soon as I’d started to eat the lamb my lips began to tingle and my face started to get hot, and eventually it got so bad I had to go to hospital.

“I told the manager I was allergic to mint when we were ordering the food, and he even went and checked the chef was able to cook them without the mint so there was absolutely no excuse for serving them to me like that.”

Irwin Mitchell negotiated an out of court compensation settlement on behalf of Miss King to cover her injuries.

Katrina Elsey, public liability specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: “All businesses that serve food to the public are responsible for the health of their customers and must make sure they do not knowingly serve food which may cause them harm.

”In this case, staff at the Bees Knees placed Miss King’s health at unnecessary risk by serving her with food she was allergic to, even though she had clearly warned them of her allergy.”