Gaby Scanlon drank two shots of Jagermeister laced with liquid nitrogen when she fell ill
A wine bar is being prosecuted after it served a freezing liquid nitrogen cocktail to a teenager who was celebrating her 18th birthday and left her needing her stomach removed.
Gaby Scanlon, from Heysham in Lancashire, drank two shots of the liqueur Jagermeister, which had been laced with the chemical, with friends at Oscar's Wine Bar in Lancaster in October 2012.
But soon after the drink she was doubled over in pain and her friends drove her straight to Lancaster Royal Infirmary where a CT scan found a large perforation.
The student spent three weeks in hospital as doctors removed her stomach and connected her oesophagus directly to her small bowel.
During a four hour emergency operation they found the extremely low temperature of the liquid nitrogen had burned a hole in her stomach and completely destroyed the stomach lining.
The super-cold chemical creates a dramatic dry-ice effect as it evaporates at room temperature. As a gas it is harmless, but the much colder liquid freezes objects on contact in seconds.
Today Lancaster City Council announced that court proceedings will take place against the George Street wine bar, one of its directors and an employee.
In a statement the council said: 'Andrew Dunn, of The Garden Village in Old Earswick, Yorkshire, has been summoned to court to answer charges under sections 3(1), 33(1)(a) and 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 in relation to his role as a director of Oscar's Wine Bar.
'Matthew George Harding, of George Street in Lancaster, has also been summoned to court to answer charges under and breaches of sections 7 and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 in relation to his role as an employee of Oscar's Wine Bar
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Gaby (left) had been out celebrating her 18th birthday with friends when she ordered two shots of the drink, laced with the ice-cold chemical to create a dramatic, bubbling effect to the beverage
'The company, Oscar's Wine Bar Ltd, registered address of 39-42 Bridge Street, Swinton, South Yorkshire, has been summoned to court to answer charges under sections 3(1), and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974.'
The first hearing will take place at Lancaster Magistrates' Court on February 9 next year, the council added.
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Lancaster City Council today announced court proceedings will take place against the George Street wine bar (pictured) , one of its directors and an employee
Preparing a festive spread can really take the merry out of merrymaking – dodge the stress with celebratory bakes that are easy to prepare but impressive enough to place before guests
Perfect party food without the pressure: a clementine and pine nut couronne (left) and cheese and chive scone bites.Photograph: Jill Mead/Guardian
It’s in party season that our pride most swells and suffers: the anticipation of great spreads of salads and trays laden with canapes served with superlative hosting skills collapses when the souffles sink and the soup goes cold.
My flatmates and I hosted a party a couple of weeks ago where, for the first hour of the gathering, and with our guests in limbo in the front room, we were still scrambling to piece together a spread. The result wasn’t the “rustic Iranian feast” we’d envisaged but a duo of wilted salads and two bowls of crisps, and guests trickled in to the smell of burning and spilt wine. It’s a cautionary tale. Don’t bite off more than you can chew this festive season. Here are a couple of simple bakes: easy to prepare, no fuss to serve, but impressive nonetheless.
Clementine and pine nut couronne
This fragrant, orange-glazed crown is a fine centrepiece for a celebration, and despite its intricate layering, not too difficult to make and shape. Just have a pair of helping hands join in when it comes to the delicate plaiting stage and you’ll have no problems.
Makes one large couronne, serving 8–10 320g strong white flour 7g instant dried yeast ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp soft light-brown sugar
For the filling 60g unsalted butter, softened 75g soft light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Zest of 3 clementines A pinch of salt 75g pine nuts, toasted in the oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 5-7 minutes, until darkened a shade
To glaze 100g icing sugar 1-2 tbsp clementine juice
1 Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, vanilla extract and zest together then add this mixture to the dry ingredients along with the butter. Mix well then tip the dough on to a clean surface and knead lightly for a couple of minutes – just until it’s slightly smoother and less sticky. It’s best not to knead this dough too much as this makes it harder to roll it out later. Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size – about 1–1½ hours.
2 Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Beat the butter with the sugar, vanilla extract, zest and salt until spreadable and perfectly smooth.
3 Roll the risen dough out to a rectangle about 45x20cm on a floured work surface. The dough might shrink back as you roll it, but just persevere until it stays at the right size. Spread the filling mixture thinly over the dough then scatter with the toasted pine nuts. Roll up tightly from long edge to long edge, to create a roll of dough about 45cm long.
A (moving) picture is worth a thousand words: step 4.
4 It can be helpful to have an extra pair of helping hands ready at this tricky stage. First transfer the roll of dough to a large baking tray. Using a sharp knife, cut right through the dough along the length of the roll, almost completely halving it but stopping just before one end, to leave the two halves barely attached. Now, keeping the cut sides of the dough strands facing upwards at all times to keep the filling inside as it bakes, cross the strands alternately over one another, starting at the end where they join. Repeat until the two strands are plaited along their entire length, with the cut sides facing upwards throughout. Curve this plait round into a circle shape. Don’t worry if the strands splay open a little as you work – just press them back into shape. Cut through the final piece of dough where the two strands were still joined and attach to the other end of the loop, pressing gently to secure the dough into a continuous circle.
5 Leave the dough to prove at room temperature for 45–60 minutes, or until around 1½ times its original size. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 while you wait. Bake the risen couronne for 30 minutes in the preheated oven until golden and fragrant. Leave to cool completely on its tray.
6 Whisk the icing sugar with enough clementine juice to give an icing just thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle all over the cooled couronne.
Cheese and chive scone bites
These are smaller than normal scones, and so rich with molten cheese that there’s no need to split them or bother with the hassle of providing knives, butter and condiments. Just serve them as they are, still warm from the oven and enjoy in a couple of quick, greedy bites.
Makes 24-30 40g butter 300g plain flour 4 tsp baking powder A pinch of salt 150g cheddar, coarsely grated 50g parmesan, finely grated 25g chives, finely chopped 150ml milk 2 tsp dijon mustard 1 egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Rub the butter into the flour until no visible chunks of butter remain. Stir in the baking powder, salt, cheeses and chives. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and mustard together then add this to the dry ingredients. Mix gently together – you want to avoid kneading the dough or working it any more than is necessary, otherwise the dough will toughen and the resulting scones will be heavy.
2 As soon as the ingredients come together to form a shaggy, slightly sticky dough, stop mixing. Tip the dough out on to a well-floured work surface and pat it gently to 2cm thick. Use a small round pastry cutter – no bigger than 4cm diameter – to cut circles out. Dust the pastry cutter with flour ifyou find it sticking to the dough. Gather offcuts, lightly pat together and repeat.
3 Arrange the dough circles over a couple of baking trays. Brush the tops of the scones with a little egg wash, taking care not to let the glaze run down the sides. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. When done, the scones should be well-risen, golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool and firm for 10 minutes or so. Best eaten while still slightly warm from the oven.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
A team of West Coast chefs celebrated Thanksgiving in an over-the-top way by creating a protein monstrosity that makes the decadent turducken seem practically austere by comparison.
The epic, artery-clogging Roast Beast, which was served up at Bourbon Steak and Pub in Santa Clara, California, on Thanksgiving Day, combined in itself seven different types of protein all mounted on a massive rotisserie and cooked to greasy perfection.
The meaty menace, which has been given the moniker 'lambpigcow' on Twitter, was made up of 24 quail; 12 chickens; 8 ducks; 6 turkeys; 2 lambs; a pig and a blanket-size side of wagyu beef butterflied open to wrap all the other ingredients.
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Not your grandma's Thanksgiving dinner: Bourbon Steak and Pub restaurant in Santa Clara, California, cooked up this meaty monstrosity dubbed the Roast Beat for Thanksgiving last week
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Meat madness: The culinary madmen combined 24 quails; 12 chickens; 8 ducks; 6 turkeys; 2 lambs; a pig and a blanket-size side of wagyu beef for the gargantuan dish
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Unusual cooking tools: The colossal meat course was bundled with a 20-foot metal garden fence
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Burning at the stake: The cooks required a huge rotisserie to cook the meaty beast to perfection
To keep everything in place during the hours-long roasting process, the mad culinary geniuses at the Santa Clara eatery bundled the colossal meat course with a 20-foot metal garden fence, secured it in place with eight stainless steel clamps, and mounted it on an enormous rotisserie.
Besides the various layers of poultry and meat, the beastly creation also included chestnut and turkey sausage stuffing.
The mastermind behind the epic dish was Seattle chef David Varley, formerly of Bourbon Steak and Pub, who returned to his old haunt last week to oversee the creation of the gargantuan roast.
Varley's Seattle restaurant, RN17, and Bourbon Steak and Pub located at the San Francisco 49ers' Levi's Stadium, are both owned by chef and restaurateur Michael Mina.
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Meat blanket: The staff butterflied open a side of beef and rubbed it down with spices before using it as a wrap for all the other ingredients
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Fowl play: Pictured here are a pair of stuffed quail on a bed of butterflied chickens and ducks
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Handymen: The project required a variety of metal tools, including clamps and gears, to hoist up the roast
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Mastermind: The Roast Beast was the brainchild of Seattle chef David Varley, formerly of Bourbon Steak and Pub, who returned to his old restaurant to orchestrate the tailgate
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Dinner is served! The final product was served to hungry football fans along with a pair of turkeys, a half dozen Seattle sea chickens and a gravy fountain
Varley’s edible colossus dubbed the Roast Feast was served up at the Thanksgiving Tailgate party after the Seattle Seahawks beat the 49ers 19-3 in San Francisco.
The hulking slab of meaty goodness was presented alongside a pair of plump turkeys, a half dozen Seattle sea chickens in honor of the Seahawks - who ended up defeating their San Francisco opponents 19-3 - and a gravy fountain .
‘I'm taking a few years off from working on thanksgiving after this,’ David Varley joked on Instagram after the holiday dinner.
Jacklyn Blake confessed to police she carried out the attack on Thursday after she accused him of not waiting for her while she slept off a hangover.
The 47-year-old was arrested when her unnamed boyfriend was found clutching a towel to his chest at their home in Pennsylvania and was taken to hospital with non life threatening injuries.
She has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment, and simple assault, reports the New York Daily News.
Her boyfriend told officers that Blake had been severely inebriated earlier in the afternoon and had chased him around the dining room before stabbing him.
She then apparently threw the knife resulting in a cut just below the left eye
The Food Standards Agency, which tested 1,995 birds, now says tackling campylobacter is their No 1 food-safety priority.
Little wonder when the bug is the biggest cause of food poisoning in the UK, responsible for 280,000 cases of diarrhoea and vomiting each year and around 100 deaths.
Ban bacteria: Keep it clean
Supermarkets have vowed to work towards a solution, but change will not happen overnight. And campylobacter is not the only danger lurking in our food.
The FSA report doesn’t just point to campylobacter on chickens, but on the outside of the packaging too.
So with a pre-packed chicken you must treat the packaging as though you are touching the chicken itself.
Keep it separate from other food shopping and wrap it in a separate carrier bag.
Once home, don’t wash chicken or poultry – that will splash bacteria all over the kitchen and you won’t gain anything because bacteria are killed by cooking it properly.
On unwrapping, throw away the packaging at once and put the bird straight into whatever you’re cooking it in.
Then thoroughly wash your hands. It’s vital to cook chicken all through.
Pierce it at the thickest part, usually the thigh, and if the juices run clear and there is no blood on the surface, it should be cooked.
Meat
Be safe: Take care when cooking meat
With steaks and whole joints of meat (not poultry, pork or rolled joints) cooking it rare is fine as the bacteria is only on the outside and is destroyed by cooking.
But mincing mixes bacteria from the outside throughout a burger and it will not be destroyed unless it is cooked all the way through.
With poultry bacteria can be in the flesh itself, so it must be cooked through.
Shellfish
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Stay safe: Shellfish can be tricky
Foods such as mussels, clams and oysters that are alive when you buy them must be checked before cooking.
Tap the shell and if it doesn’t close throw it away because it is probably towards the end of its life or already dead and can cause illness if you eat it.
Also junk any that don’t open up during cooking.
Shellfish get food by filtering water through the digestive system, which we then eat.
It can harbour bacteria and viruses from the water where the creature lived, risking contamination.
Vulnerable people such as pregnant women, children, those with low immunity and the elderly should avoid raw shellfish.
The most common threat is from viruses.
A study funded by the Food Standards Agency found three-quarters of oysters from UK beds contained norovirus, although half were at low levels.
Rice
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Risky rice: Make sure you reheat carefully
Uncooked rice can contain spores called bacillus cereus.
If cooked rice is left at room temperature the spores can multiply, producing toxins that can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.
Reheating the rice, even correctly, will not kill the toxins.
So cooked rice must be cooled rapidly by rinsing in cool water and quickly refrigerated or frozen.
Don’t keep it in the fridge for longer than 24 hours.
Vegetables
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Careful with carrots: Not as safe as you'd think
Veg are not as innocuous as many people think.
It depends on who picked them, where they were picked, and how you prepare them. Peel before eating to remove potential contaminants.
You wouldn’t eat soil from the garden and eating unwashed root veg is almost the same.
You are at risk from bacterium such as listeria, also found in animal waste.
With fruit and veg from abroad, you don’t know what standards apply. Growers could be putting human sewage on the fields, bringing a risk of pathogens.
However most supermarkets audit their suppliers to ensure standards are maintained.
Follow the packaging instructions. If it says to wash before consumption, do it.
Pre-packaged foods
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Careful with cans: Make sure they are stored properly
Use-by-dates on food such as ham are fine if the pack is still sealed.
Once it’s open, you are often told to eat it within a specific period such as 24 hours.
It’s important to check or you could fall ill. You can’t necessarily smell or see bacteria so your senses don’t tell you if it’s dangerous or not.
With tins, never buy them dented, even if there is 50% off.
A dent can cause a very small hole that lets in bacteria or oxygen to spoil or contaminate the food.
If you don’t use all a tin’s contents, store the rest in a lidded container and refrigerate, especially tomatoes and acidic foods that can make the tins rusty and cause metal contamination.
Some people wipe tins before putting them away as they don’t know what might be lurking on the outside.
Fridges
Fridge fear: Make sure it's at the right temperature
It’s important to keep a fridge at the right temperature, especially at this time of year when you start ramming in more things in the run-up to Christmas.
A fuller fridge has a higher temperature and food won’t be kept at the ideal temperture (below 5C) to stop bacteria growing.
So don’t overfill, and regulate the temperature using a simple fridge thermometer.
Think about how you store food. Put raw items, especially fruit, in the bottom so it can’t drop on to other food.
If you have a small or shared fridge and can’t layer food , wrap it well to stop contamination.
Don’t put hot food in the fridge to cool. This can raise the fridge temperature so that bacteria already present will start multiplying again.
Surfaces
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Keep them clean: Surfaces
Everyone’s home has plenty of places for bugs to grow and surfaces often cause cross-contamination.
Wash with hot soapy water then sanitise with products from the supermarket.
And always follow the instructions.
Some must be left on for a certain time before being wiped off and others should be sprayed and left on.
Don’t forget to sanitise sinks as well as taps.
And clean dishcloths very well or use kitchen roll.
Screwed up and left on the edge of a sink, cloths can be a reservoir for bacteria because they are warm, damp and more than likely have food on them.
Using them can spread bacteria on a surface instead of cleaning it.
Food preparation
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Clean hands key: Make sure you ash your hands
Wash hands with warm soapy water before cooking and clean everywhere, including around the fingernails and in the thumb crease.
Make sure cuts on your hands are covered with a plaster.
It’s not there to protect the cut but to protect the food from whatever’s in the cut.
A bacteria called staphylococcus aureus is common and already present on your skin’s surface.
But it can multiply in cuts, which can become infected. If that is transferred on to the food, it can cause vomiting quite quickly.
