Jamie Oliver was left with egg on his face last night when it emerged that one of the restaurants he backs served customers eggs from battery hens.

The mix-up at Fifteen Cornwall, which usually buys only organic eggs, occurred while Jamie's Fowl Dinners - Oliver's plea for the country to rethink its attitude to poultry - was aired on Channel 4.

The incident came to light after a party of farmers and battery egg producers asked to see what they were eating during a visit to the restaurant last Friday.

They realised they had been served eggs from battery hens after a chef brought them a tray to inspect from the kitchen.

"It was a cock-up; we pride ourselves on knowing where everything comes from," said Dave Meneer, the restaurant's chief executive.

Oliver is a trustee of the Fifteen Foundation charity, which runs four restaurants, including the Cornish restaurant in Watergate Bay, to train disadvantaged youngsters to become chefs.

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By Daniel Thomas

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