Things have gone from bad to worse for our favourite culinary wizard Heston Blumenthal.
Victims of the food poisoning outbreak at his three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, are now seeking legal damages from the chef, reports the Daily Mail.
Blumenthal closed the iconic restaurant for two weeks in February after more than 500 diners were struck down by norovirus, or winter vomiting bug.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) released a report on its investigation into the outbreak earlier this month stating the official cause was contaminated shellfish.
The report pointed to "several weaknesses in procedures" at the Fat Duck including delayed response to the incident and staff working when they should have been off sick.
The victims are now seeking damages against Blumenthal over the chef's 'pathetic response' to the episode - among them high profile diners including boxing promoter Frank Warren and TV presenter Jim Rosenthal.
However, a spokeswoman for the Fat Duck defended the restaurant saying it was still in the process of reviewing the HPA's report and was not yet in a position to respond to claims.
"Unfortunately, until our insurers and legal teams have completed this review we are unable to comment further and we have written to all of our guests who were affected to advise them of this," she said.
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