Boxing host starts bout with chef

Boxing TV host Jim Rosenthal took a legal bout with chef Heston Blumenthal to court yesterday over a £1,300 meal which he claimed left him "disastrously" sick.

The veteran ITV presenter was one of more than 500 guests who fell ill during the norovirus outbreak at the award-winning Fat Duck restaurant last year.

District Judge Tim Parker initially said he was minded to dismiss Rosenthal's claim at Oxford County Court after hearing he and his dinner companions had already received 6,000 compensation in the wake of the meal.

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But after legal argument from Rosenthal's lawyer the judge decided the battle would go into another round.

Judge Parker requested written submissions from both parties after the commentator's counsel Andrew Sheriff sought leave to appeal. They will return to court at a date to be fixed.

Blumenthal closed his award-winning restaurant after the outbreak last year and later apologised to the diners who were taken ill, writing each a letter offering them a free meal.

The Health Protection Agency found raw shellfish had been contaminated with human sewage. Other establishments associated with oysters from the same source had suffered similar outbreaks but the Fat Duck may also have suffered from person-to-person contact among diners or staff.

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