Simpson's-in-the-Strand hygiene appeal fails

Historic London restaurant Simpson's-in-the-Strand has been told to clean up its act and ordered to pay more than £10,000 in costs after losing a food-poisoning case.

Westminster City Council environmental health officers issued a food hygiene improvement notice on the property after 31 customers fell ill following an alleged outbreak of salmonella at the restaurant on 18 March last year.

However, after being ordered to review its cleaning procedures, Simpson's launched an appeal to clear its name.

The appeal failed and judges upheld the notice, ordering the 178-year-old restaurant to pay £10,352 in costs to the council.

A spokesman for the council said: "It was always our intention to work with Simpson's and it is regrettable that they chose to go to court. This notice was only served because our advice was ignored."

A spokeswoman for the Savoy Group, which owns Simpson's, told Caterer it was "very disappointed" with the outcome of the case but was doing everything it could to comply with the council guidelines. She denied any impact on the level of business at the restaurant.