Tuesday 12 June 2012

Forty-nine wedding guests and newlyweds spend their Vegas honeymoon sick with food poison from undercooked pâté

They had expected to spend their Las Vegas honeymoon indulging in romantic meals, lounging by the pool and taking in the sights.

Instead, Nicola and Alex Hamill spent their first few days as husband and wife confined to their hotel room with a severe bout of food poisoning – caused by the pâté they had eaten at their Hertfordshire wedding reception.

And to make matters worse, when they returned home after five miserable days of diarrhoea and stomach cramps, they discovered 49 of their guests had also fallen ill.

Newlyweds Alex and Nicola Hamill were confined to their honeymoon bedroom after they both fell sick with food poisoning along with 49 of their guests
Newlyweds Alex and Nicola Hamill were confined to their honeymoon bedroom after they both fell sick with food poisoning along with 49 of their guests




Two of the portions of the undercooked pâté that were served up to guests at the Hamill's wedding
Two of the portions of the undercooked pâté that were served up to guests at the Hamill's wedding

Mr Hamill’s brother-in-law was so poorly he lost a stone and a half and was bedridden for two weeks.



The four-star hotel where the couple held their wedding has now been fined £8,300 after health and safety officers took it to court for undercooking the chicken liver pâté served as a starter.

‘We feel it spoilt the memory of the day. We had saved for years for our special day. It was ruined,’ Mrs Hamill said.

HOW UNDERCOOKED CHICKEN PATE CAUSES 90% OF COMMON FOOD POISONING CASES

Health experts have warned in the past of the high risk of food poisoning from undercooked chicken or duck liver pâté.
New figures show that more than 90 per cent of outbreaks of campylobacter - the most common form of bacterial food poisoning - at catering venues in 2011 were linked to people eating the pâté.
Symptoms of the illness include diarrhoea, stomach pains, cramps, fever, and generally feeling unwell.
According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), there were 18 outbreaks of campylobacter infection in England so far this year.
Overall, 443 people became unwell and one person was taken to hospital.
Campylobacter can be found spread throughout chicken and duck liver, meaning it must be cooked thoroughly to ensure the bacteria is killed.
A total of 14 outbreaks occurred in catering venues, 13 of which were linked to chicken or duck liver pâté. Chicken was the worst culprit, accounting for 11 of the 13 cases.
The outbreaks occurred across the country, with seven linked to wedding receptions held at hotels, banqueting venues and pubs.
The other six were linked to catering in hotels, clubs and restaurants.

‘I would not wish it on my worst enemy. I feel so embarrassed. When we got back from the honeymoon we realised everyone was ill.

‘No one had wanted to tell us while we were away in case it ruined our honeymoon.’

The couple, from Luton, tied the knot on September 3 last year at Letchworth Hall Hotel in Hertfordshire.

They paid £5,550 for a wedding breakfast and drinks for their 118 guests, having carefully saved up £16,000 for the ceremony and honeymoon.

Mrs Hamill, 29, a merchandiser, said she and Mr Hamill, a 32-year-old electrician, fell in love with the hotel when they first saw it, and staff ‘really bigged up the kitchen and food’.

But when they sat down to eat on the big day, Mrs Hamill said she was immediately suspicious about the pâté.

‘What is worse is that I knew something was wrong with the pâté – it looked completely different from our tasting session,’ she said. ‘We asked the staff twice to check it was fit for consumption and they assured us it was.’

The next day the couple complained about the pâté, and the hotel gave them £400 towards the bar bill.

On September 5 they flew to Las Vegas for their honeymoon, which had cost £2,200. But the newlyweds only enjoyed one romantic meal together before they both fell ill with stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

For the rest of their five-day stay they were too ill to leave their room, and could only manage dry toast and water.

Mrs Hamill said: ‘People ask us what we did in Las Vegas and we have to say nothing.

‘We were left just looking out of the window thinking we wish we were sat by the pool…I felt so ill. At one point I thought I was going to die.

Managers at Letchworth Hall Hotel has apologised to Mr and Mrs Hamill and their guests
Managers at Letchworth Hall Hotel has apologised to Mr and Mrs Hamill and their guests


When they returned from their honeymoon, the couple were devastated to hear that nearly half of their wedding guests had suffered from the same food poisoning
When they returned from their honeymoon, the couple were devastated to hear that nearly half of their wedding guests had suffered from the same food poisoning

'All we could eat was dry toast and we spent $150 [£97] on the mini bar just on water and vitamin drinks. We should have been splashing out on champagne.’

When they flew home on September 10, they discovered the situation was even worse than they thought.

Forty-nine guests, all of whom had chosen the pâté, were also ill, and Mrs Hamill’s sister had called in environmental health officers.

The case was prosecuted by North Hertfordshire District Council and the hotel pleaded guilty to two charges of poor food hygiene practice at Hertford Magistrates’ Court on May 18.

Doctors confirmed 22 cases of Campylobacter food poisoning, including those of Mr and Mrs Hamill.

Mr and Mrs Hamill pictured with both sets of parents - they didn't get food poisoning as they chose soup instead of the pâté
Mr and Mrs Hamill pictured with both sets of parents - they didn't get food poisoning as they chose soup instead of the pâté

The hotel was fined £6,300 for the first offence and £2,000 for the second. It was also made to pay the council the full court costs of £3,870.

Environmental health officers discovered that the chef had only cooked the chicken livers for the pâté to 60°C (140°F), breaching hotel policy and Food Standards Agency guidance, which recommend heating to 75C (167F) to prevent food poisoning.

The hotel was told to improve its service and in a repeat inspection on May 8 it received a five out of five rating for food hygiene standards.

A spokesman said: ‘Letchworth Hall Hotel wishes to express its deep regret and offer its sincere apologies to Mr and Mrs Hamill and their wedding guests.

‘This incident was unprecedented in our past of catering to countless similar large events, a fact also reflected in our recent receipt of a five star food hygiene rating.’

The Hamills have instructed lawyers to sue the hotel for negligence. They will ask for compensation for loss of earnings as well as for their ruined wedding day and honeymoon.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157553/Newlyweds-forced-spend-Vegas-honeymoon-sick-bed-food-poisoning-p-t.html#ixzz1xZukTDR6

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