The FINANCIAL — The luxury four-red-AA star Tylney Hall hotel in Rotherwick, Hampshire, has apologised to customers affected by a food poisoning incident, which landed the property with fines and costs of more than £40,000, according to Caterer and Hotelkeeper.
Three people were struck down with the campylobacter form of food poisoning following a Christmas party at the 112-bedroom property owned by Elite Hotels, in December 2010, Aldershot Magistrates Court was told.
The hotel admitted five food hygiene charges, including selling cheese after its use-by date, twice placing unsafe chicken liver parfait on the market, and failing to ensure that food handlers were supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work.
Helen Riglia, prosecuting on behalf of Hart District Council, said the charges arose following the hotel's failure to ensure food was cooked at the proper temperature, its failure to keep adequate records and a lack of stock rotation and food delivery checks.
The council received complaints after 13 diners attending the party complained of nausea and flu-like symptoms followed by diarrhoea.
Andrew Kinnier, representing the hotel, said his client was a company with an impeccable food safety record who had vowed to ensure such occurrences never happen again.
Magistrates fined the hotel a total of £36,500. They also ordered it to pay the council's £4,039 costs and £15 towards a fund for the victims of crime.
