**BREAKING NEWS*** Blumenthal Forced to Shut Fat Duck; 400 Patrons Sick

[Koenig]

British celebrity chef forced to shut his Fat Duck restaurant

It's a culinary mystery worthy of Agatha Christie.

Britain's Health Protection Agency said Friday about 400 people reported falling ill after eating at The Fat Duck, a world-renowned British establishment reputed for dishes such as snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream.

Health officials are baffled by the outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting while the celebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal, has said his restaurant will remain closed until the mystery is solved.

"It's so weird - we haven't found anything. But I can't take the risk of keeping open until we have exhausted every single avenue," Blumenthal told The Times of London last week, shortly after the first group of people reported falling ill.

Britain's Health Protection Agency is screening The Fat Duck's recent diners, and food samples are being tested at the agency's Center for Infections in London. So far, there are no answers.

"This is a very complex outbreak," agency official Dr. Graham Bicker said in a statement. An agency spokeswoman declined to elaborate except to say they had yet to receive any results.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/0...t_duck_illness

[ahpadt]

Didn't this happen like 2 weeks ago? I think they've spotted the bad food (some foie gras I think), made new routines and reopened already.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/lif...cle5818300.ece <- article in The Times...

[Koenig]

Dad sent me the yahoo link and it dated March 6? I dunno.

[teeb]

Originally Posted by ahpadt

Didn't this happen like 2 weeks ago? I think they've spotted the bad food (some foie gras I think), made new routines and reopened already.

The Guardian yesterday suggested they've still no idea what caused it, and so it still remains shut.

This is a 3-star Michelin place, and "the best place to eat in Britain", according to one poll.

It sounds like they've been really unlucky with something - as of yesterday, 400 'ill' diners, sabotage ruled out.

It seems a shame as it's somewhere I'd love to eat at one day.

[matt2000]

I head it was one or maybe two diners that had been ill and after that every diner was asked if they had been ill since, so any kind of illness was blamed on him.

That's what I've heard anyway, could be complete BS.

[ahpadt]

Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck reopens and the diners love it

[chaos386]

a world-renowned British establishment reputed for dishes such as snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream.

Health officials are baffled by the outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting

A conundrum for the ages.