Latest news with #SimplyChapters
Times
3 days ago
- Times
Diner blamed ‘runaway chocolate truffle' after restaurant slip
A home counties restaurant with a 'field to fork' philosophy of fine dining was sued for £100,000 after a customer claimed to have slipped on a 'runaway truffle'. Rosina Malik told a judge that she twisted her ankle and broke her right wrist after falling at Chapter One, a Michelin Guide-listed restaurant on the London–Kent border that advertised itself as being committed to 'sustainability' to the point of having beehives on its roof. The 62-year-old diner claimed that at the end of her meal at the restaurant on Farnborough Common, she stood to adjust her dress and then slipped on a caramel-filled chocolate truffle, which had been 'dropped but not retrieved' by a waiter. Malik, from Croydon, south London, sued the restaurant's owners, Simply Chapters, for up to £100,000 in damages over the effects of the incident in 2020. Lawyers for the restaurant did not dispute that a truffle was dropped but they said managers denied liability, insisting that Malik had not actually stepped on it. A judge at Central London county court has backed the company, finding that Malik's right shoe had 'no contact' with the truffle, meaning she was not entitled to compensation At the court hearing, Malik argued that she was left 'in shock' after her fall, which resulted in painful injuries to her ankle and wrist. The truffle was said to have been among a selection offered to her by a waiter that she and her companions decided to take away. But one truffle was said to have fallen while being transferred to a box, with Malik telling the court it rolled off the table and that she subsequently trod on it. Malik said: 'As I stood up straight and tried to fix my dress, my feet started to slip and just gave way under me.' She said that as she rose from the table, she had assumed the waiter had retrieved the truffle and that it was no longer a risk. 'If the waiter knew it was there, he should have brought it to my attention,' Malik said. In his ruling, Judge Nigel Gerald noted that immediately after Malik had fallen, it was assumed that she had slipped on the truffle as it was found on the floor — and some of the chocolate remains were also on the sole of her shoe. However, managers argued that an assessment of the restaurant's CCTV video showed there had been no point where Malik stood on the truffle. Juliet Stevenson, for the restaurant, argued that Malik had fallen after her right ankle 'inverted' and she tripped over, and that the 'runaway truffle' was nothing to do with the fall. The barrister suggested several possibilities for Malik's loss of balance, including the fact that she had consumed up to three glasses of wine, a 'somewhat slippery floor', fatigue at the end of the day and wearing high heels 'no matter how experienced the wearer'. Stevenson added: 'The fact is that people do on occasion lose their balance without clear cause.' The judge ruled that the video did not show any contact between Malik's foot and the truffle. He explained that sticky caramel likely came to be on the sole of her shoe 'after the accident and before her shoes were removed'.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Diner wearing high heels wanted £100k after ‘slipping on chocolate truffle'
A high-heeled diner who claimed she slipped on a 'runaway truffle' while exiting a restaurant has lost her fight for £100,000 compensation. Rosina Malik, 62, twisted her ankle and broke her right wrist when she fell at Chapter One, a fine-dining restaurant in Farnborough Common, Kent. The fall happened after she stood to adjust her dress at the end of a three-course dinner with two friends. She blamed her accident on stepping on a 'runaway' caramel-filled chocolate truffle – which had been 'dropped but not retrieved' by a waiter during dessert. Mrs Malik sued the restaurant's owners, Simply Chapters Ltd, for up to £100,000 in damages. The restaurant denied liability and while not disputing that a truffle was dropped onto the floor, the restaurant's managers insisted Mrs Malik did not step on it before the accident. In a judgment at Central London county court this week, Judge Nigel Gerald ruled against Mrs Malik, finding that her right shoe had 'no contact' with the truffle. The 62-year-old told the court she was left 'in shock' after her fall, which left her with injuries to her ankle and wrist. The offending truffle was among a selection offered by the waiter which she and her friends decided to have boxed up. But the truffle fell from its dish while being transferred to the box, explained Mrs Malik, rolling off the edge of the table, where, she claimed, she subsequently trod on it, or its residue. The judge said that immediately after the accident everyone assumed the truffle was the culprit as it was found on the floor, while some of the chocolate remains were also on the sole of her shoe. A trawl through the restaurant's CCTV showed a more complex picture, the restaurant maintaining there was no point where Mrs Malik was in fact seen to stand on the caramel choc. Judge Gerald in his ruling said the traces of sticky caramel on her shoe probably ended up on the sole 'after the accident and before her shoes were removed'. Defence lawyers acting for the restaurant claimed Mrs Malik ended up on the floor after her right ankle 'inverted' and she tripped over, insisting that the 'runaway truffle' had nothing to do with the accident.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Diner's £100k claim over ‘runaway truffle' after fall at Michelin-listed restaurant
A diner who blamed a "runaway truffle" after slipping in high heels while exiting a Michelin Guide -listed restaurant has lost her fight for £100,000 compensation. Rosina Malik, 62, twisted her ankle and broke her right wrist when she fell at fine dining restaurant Chapter One, in Farnborough Common, Kent, after she stood to adjust her dress at the end of a three-course dinner with two pals. She blamed her accident on having stepped on a "runaway" caramel-filled chocolate truffle, which had been 'dropped but not retrieved' by a waiter during dessert, as she got up from her chair. Mrs Malik, of Castlemaine Road, South Croydon, sued the restaurant's owners, Simply Chapters Ltd, for up to £100,000 in damages over the impact of the October 2020 accident. But the restaurant denied liability and while not disputing that a truffle was dropped onto the floor, the restaurant's managers insisted Mrs Malik did not step on it before the accident. In a judgment at Central London County Court this week, Judge Nigel Gerald ruled against Mrs Malik, crucially finding that her right shoe had 'no contact' with the truffle - and so dashing her hopes of securing compensation for her injuries. The 62-year-old told the court she was left 'in shock' after her fall, which left her with painful injuries to her ankle and wrist. The offending truffle was among a selection offered up by her table's waiter which she and her companions decided to have boxed up as they were already full from their dinner. But the wandering truffle fell from its dish while being transferred to the box, explained Mrs Malik, rolling off the edge of the table, where - she claimed - she subsequently trod on it, or its residue. Mrs Malik told the court in the witness box: 'I stood up and, as I stood up straight and tried to fix my dress, my feet started to slip and just gave way under me." She explained that when she got up from the table she assumed their waiter had already picked the truffle up from the floor and that it was no longer a 'risk'. 'If the waiter knew it was there, he should have brought it to my attention,' she told the judge. 'When I stood up, I assumed that whatever had been dropped had been picked up. I had no knowledge that something which had fallen was still on the floor when I stood up." The judge said that immediately after the accident all assumed that the truffle was the culprit as it was found on the floor, while some of the chocolate remains were also on the sole of Mrs Malik's shoe. But an exhaustive trawl through the restaurant's CCTV showed a more complex picture, with the restaurant maintaining there was no point where Mrs Malik was in fact seen to stand on the caramel choc. Her barrister, Simon Plaut, put her case on grounds that she either stepped on the truffle's 'viscous residue' after standing up from the table - or that she herself squashed the chocolate by standing on it while standing up. But defence lawyers claimed Mrs Malik ended up on the floor after her right ankle 'inverted' and she tripped over, insisting that what the restaurant's barrister, Juliet Stevenson, labelled the 'runaway truffle' was nothing to do with the accident. She sketched out multiple alternative possible reasons for Mrs Malik's loss of balance, including she having knocked back up to three glasses of wine, a 'somewhat slippery floor,' fatigue at the end of the day, and wearing high heels 'no matter how experienced the wearer'. But she also noted: 'The fact is that people do on occasion lose their balance without clear cause.' Judge Gerald in his ruling said the video footage did not show any contact between Mrs Malik's foot and the truffle, adding: 'Her toe appears to come close to the truffle, but it's quite clear that it doesn't in fact come so close or within contact, because not only does the truffle not move but it's shape does not change.' As for the traces of sticky caramel on her shoe, this probably ended up on the sole 'after the accident and before her shoes were removed,' the judge added. 'I find that the claimant didn't tread on the truffle before she fell and therefore she has been unable to establish the essential facts which she relied on and I dismiss her claim,' he concluded.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Diner who blamed 'runaway chocolate truffle' when she slipped in high heels exiting Michelin-listed restaurant loses £100,000 payout claim
A diner who blamed a 'runaway truffle' after slipping in high heels while exiting a Michelin Guide-listed restaurant has lost her fight for £100,000 compensation. Rosina Malik, 62, twisted her ankle and broke her right wrist when she fell at the fine dining restaurant Chapter One, in Farnborough Common, Kent. She tumbled as she attempted to stand to adjust her dress at the end of a three-course dinner with two friends. Blaming her accident on stepping on a 'runaway' caramel-filled chocolate truffle, she said it had been 'dropped but not retrieved' by a waiter during dessert, as she got up from her chair. Mrs Malik, of Castlemaine Road, South Croydon, sued the restaurant's owners, Simply Chapters Ltd, for up to £100,000 in damages over the impact of the October 2020 accident. But the restaurant denied liability and while not disputing that a truffle was dropped onto the floor, the restaurant's managers insisted Mrs Malik did not step on it before the accident. In a judgment at Central London County Court this week, Judge Nigel Gerald ruled against Mrs Malik, crucially finding that her right shoe had 'no contact' with the truffle - and so dashing her hopes of securing compensation for her injuries. The 62-year-old told the court she was left 'in shock' after her fall, which left her with painful injuries to her ankle and wrist. The offending truffle was among a selection offered up by her table's waiter which she and her companions decided to have boxed up since they were already full from their dinner. But the truffle fell from its dish while being transferred to the box, explained Mrs Malik, rolling off the edge of the table, where - she claimed - she subsequently trod on it. Mrs Malik told the court: 'I stood up and, as I stood up straight and tried to fix my dress, my feet started to slip and just gave way under me.' She explained that when she got up from the table she assumed their waiter had already picked the truffle up from the floor and that it was no longer a 'risk'. 'If the waiter knew it was there, he should have brought it to my attention,' she told the judge. 'When I stood up, I assumed that whatever had been dropped had been picked up. I had no knowledge that something which had fallen was still on the floor when I stood up.' The judge said that immediately after the accident all assumed that the truffle was the culprit as it was found on the floor, while some of the chocolate remains were also on the sole of Mrs Malik's shoe. But an exhaustive trawl through the restaurant's CCTV showed a more complex picture, with the restaurant maintaining there was no point where Mrs Malik was seen to stand on the caramel choc. Her barrister, Simon Plaut, put her case on grounds that she either stepped on the truffle's 'viscous residue' after standing up from the table - or that she herself squashed the chocolate by standing on it while standing up. But the restaurant's barrister, Juliet Stevenson claimed Mrs Malik ended up on the floor after her right ankle 'inverted' and she tripped over., saying the 'runaway truffle' had nothing to do with the accident. She sketched out multiple alternative possible reasons for Mrs Malik's loss of balance, including she having knocked back up to three glasses of wine, a 'somewhat slippery floor,' fatigue at the end of the day, and wearing high heels. But she also noted: 'The fact is that people do on occasion lose their balance without clear cause.' Judge Gerald in his ruling said the video footage did not show any contact between Mrs Malik's foot and the truffle, adding: 'Her toe appears to come close to the truffle, but it's quite clear that it doesn't in fact come so close or within contact, because not only does the truffle not move but it's shape does not change.' As for the traces of sticky caramel on her shoe, this probably ended up on the sole 'after the accident and before her shoes were removed,' the judge added. 'I find that the claimant didn't tread on the truffle before she fell and therefore she has been unable to establish the essential facts which she relied on and I dismiss her claim,' he concluded.
