School ‘sorry’ for serving pupils raw chicken

ONE of Britain’s top public schools has apologised after it served under-cooked chicken to pupils.

Cheltenham College launched an urgent investigation after a chef mistook chicken goujons for fish goujons.

In a letter to parents, bursar Phil Attwell said he was “extremely sorry” for the error which took place on April 29. He claims catering staff mistook the goujons for similar fish-based food, which would have taken less than half the time to cook.

He said: “Cheltenham College is extremely sorry that this lapse has occurred. We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure that the food that we serve aligns with the standards that our pupils and you as parents expect from us.

“Even though 90 more fish portions had been produced than the previous Friday, the dining hall counter was running out of fish as the end of service approached. A member of the chef team cooked off what they believed to be fish goujons, which require five minutes cooking time.

“However, they had in fact cooked chicken goujons which require 12 minutes cooking time.

The member of staff took a shortcut by not properly checking (using a probe) that 75 degrees had been reached; the chicken was sent to be served, in a significantly undercooked state. Five Upper College pupils received the chicken but notified staff as soon as they spotted the mistake; the meals were quickly recalled, and a replacement meal provided.”

The Victorian school, which opened in 1841, costs around £14,000 to attend for a year and currently has around 640 pupils.

Mr Attwell said the school is reviewing its internal processes.