A teenager with a nut allergy had to spend her 18th birthday in hospital after eating chicken tikka masala from a local takeaway. Eleanor Lincoln went into anaphylactic shock and struggled to breathe.
She was sick, which her mum Bridie believes saved her life. And she warned others with allergies against becoming "complacent" when ordering food made by others.
As reported by Chronicle Live, the frightening incident episode occurred last March after Eleanor ate a curry from Khan's restaurant in Heaton, Newcastle. A worker at the restaurant was later fined over a breach of food hygiene regulations.
Eleanor's family had decided to mark her milestone birthday during lockdown with a celebration at home. "We had balloons and champagne and we all got dressed up," said Bridie.
It was the first time the family had used the restaurant as their usual takeaway was closed. Bridie placed the order via an app, specifically asking for no peanuts. But shortly after the first bite, Eleanor started to react.
"I couldn't believe what was happening," said Bridie, 51. "This was the first time she's had a severe reaction.
"Eleanor served herself, and straight away she said, 'Mum, I think it's got peanuts in it.' She said she could feel her lips tingling."
As Eleanor's lips and tongue began to swell Bridie administered an Epi-pen and phoned an ambulance. Her daughter then vomited.
Bridie said: "If Eleanor hadn't have been sick she would have died. It was like being trapped in a nightmare.
"She could have died over something so simple. But it just wasn't her day to die."
Doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle gave Eleanor steroids as she struggled to breathe. She stayed in the hospital overnight for observation but was discharged the following day.
Newcastle City Council’s Environmental Health Team found that staff missed the crucial information and peanut and almond protein were in the meal. Food business operator, Samir Najeeb, of Khan’s Restaurant, was found guilty of a breach of Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations and fined £450 with £3,000 in costs at Newcastle Magistrates Court.
Eleanor has now fully recovered from her ordeal and is studying physics and astrophysics at university in Manchester. Bridie hopes her daughter's story will serve as a warning.
"You have got to check the ingredients in everything," she said. "For 12 years after Eleanor was diagnosed we have never had any problems.
"I want to highlight that this can happen even when you ask for a peanut-free meal. You just can't be complacent. Ingredients can change and staff can change."
Bridie urged allergy sufferers to follow-up online food orders with a phone call to make sure their requirements have been received and understood. And she asked restaurants to think twice about using potentially harmful ingredients in dishes where they are not necessary.
Cllr Irim Ali, who has responsibility for regulation on the city council, said: “People have died from food allergies and contaminated food from takeaways and restaurants. I can’t emphasise enough the seriousness of this case.
“The public must be confident that businesses are safe and take no risk with their safety. We are committed to supporting businesses with training and help but will hold those to account that put lives at risk.”
