“The case papers were only served yesterday and we require more time to consider the details and advise the defendant company as to plea,” defence lawyer Laura Bradford told Westminster Magistrates Court
(Picture: Google maps)A luxury West End hotel is being prosecuted for allegedly serving up an orange and chocolate flavoured dessert without telling customers it contained nuts.
Bosses of the Strand Palace Hotel are accused of eight breaches of food safety and hygiene standards over service of the orange dome-shaped orange mousse on chocolate salami base in its 2019 Christmas Afternoon Tea menu.
It is said the dessert – part of the £29-per-head meal at the Haxells restaurant and bar – contained hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds, but customers were not alerted to the ingredients.
Strand Palace Hotel and Restaurants Ltd, which runs the four-star hotel on The Strand opposite Somerset House, is accused of breaches of the 2013 Food Safety and Hygiene regulations as well as European Union food standard rules.
The prosecution, being brought by Westminster City Council, was before magistrates last week, when the hotel asked for an adjournment to consider the evidence.
“The case papers were only served yesterday and we require more time to consider the details and advise the defendant company as to plea,” defence lawyer Laura Bradford told Westminster Magistrates Court.
According to the charges, the hotel allegedly “placed unsafe food on the market” with the sale of the dessert “which formed part of the ‘Christmas Afternoon Tea Menu’ that contained tree nuts including Hazelnuts, Pistachio and Almonds, which is considered to be injurious to health because of the particular health sensitivities of a specific category of consumers”.
It is said they “failed to provide information generally available to the consumer” about the nut content, putting those with allergies in peril on December 17, 2019.
The hotel is also accused of failing to adequately monitor the preparation of food being sold at the restaurant and is alleged to have “failed to ensure that food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity”.
Magistrates agreed to delay the hearing until March 30 when the hotel owners are expected to enter pleas.
It faces five counts of contravening or failing to comply with EU provision concerning food safety and hygiene, selling food not of the nature substance or quality demanded by the purchaser, and two charges of being a food business operator failing to list items in relevant food that could cause allergy or intolerance.
