Shakespeare Restaurant Swan At The Globe Fined After 25 Diners Suffer Food Poisoning

Fine: Chris Wright

A landmark restaurant attached to Shakespeare's Globe theatre has been fined after twenty-five diners suffered food poisoning from undercooked roast beef.

The Swan at the Globe on London's Bankside was prosecuted by Southwark council after the customers experienced vomiting and diarrhoea.

At Croydon Magistrates Court the restaurant, which enjoys a £6-7 million annual turnover was fined a total of £1100, with £683 costs and was ordered to pay a £70 victim surcharge.

The restaurant's millionaire managing director, 52 year-old Christopher Diccon Wright, of Blaise Farm, Tower Hill, Offham, West Malling was in court.

The restaurant admitted three summonses relating to serving roast beef unsafe for human consumption; failing to have proper controls in place and failing to protect food from contamination between August 24 and 25, 2014.

Only one of the customers sought medical assistance and all the UK-based diners returned to the restaurant on invitation for a meal.

The restaurant reported the outbreak of food-poisoning to the local council when customers complained.

The Swan admitted the cooking time for some of the roast beef was insufficient.

The restaurant says it has paid £10m to the Globe Theatre over the last nine years, had enjoyed a five-star rating and the new owners invested £2.5m in a new kitchen.

Their lawyer, who refused to give his name, told the court: "It has a reputation to protect and is very keen to defend it. The restaurant is very sorry and it's reputation has not been dented."

District Judge Andrew Price announced: "The company has done everything it can to ensure this is not repeated and has achieved higher standards of food hygiene."