Anger as celebrity haunt Indian restaurant serves nut allergy disclaimers with meals
A group of fashionable Indian restaurants is issuing diners who suffer from nut allergies specially printed cards warning them that they eat there at their own risk.
Managers at the up-market London chain, which include Chutney Mary in Chelsea and the award-winning Amaya in Belgravia, show all customers who say they have the allergy a 100-word health warning.
The card makes clear that while only some dishes have nuts as an ingredient, all may become accidentally contaminated with traces of nut in the kitchen.
Risk: Owners of the Chutney Mary took the unusual step after a legal threat
It adds that the restaurant owners, Masala World, cannot be held liable for adverse reactions to its food.
The drastic step has been taken following a threat of legal action by a customer who suffered a serious allergic reaction to a dish which did not contain nuts in its recipe.
The group, which serves more than 800,000 customers a year, also owns Veeraswamy in Regent Street and the popular Masala Zone chain.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Jemima Khan are regulars at the £65-a-head Amaya.
In the past, managers at the restaurants have spoken to allergy sufferers about the risks of contamination. Menus have also stated that all dishes may
contain traces of nuts. But following the legal threat, Masala World toughened its stance, and even banned allergy sufferers from using its restaurants for a week while it reviewed its policy.
From this month, customers at its five Masala Zone restaurants in London who state that they suffer from a nut allergy are being asked by managers to read the cards.
The group’s other three restaurants are in the process of introducing similar cards.
They state: ‘We cannot guarantee that our food is free from traces of nuts . . . therefore customers with nut allergies/intolerances wishing to eat in our restaurants do so entirely at their own risk.’
Piero Sardano, Masala World’s operations director, said: ‘We do sympathise with customers with nut allergies but without setting up a separate sterile kitchen to prepare nut-free dishes we are not equipped to cater for people with severe nut allergies.’
Jules Payne of Allergy UK, a charity devoted to allergy research, said: ‘I find it quite sad.
'It would make me get up and walk out. It is an extreme stance to take to bring out a card saying you eat at your own risk.
'Most people with nut allergies understand there is always going to be a risk if you eat out.’
