Living with an allergy to certain foods means you may be wary of ordering food in a restaurant or from a takeaway. As a result, you may take a look at the allergy menu or ask staff to prepare a dish that doesn’t contain the allergens you react to when ordering food.
However, if you have taken precautions when ordering a dish and suffer an allergic reaction after eating in Harry Ramsden’s because the staff served food with an ingredient you’ve asked to be left out, or the Harry Ramsden’s allergen guide didn’t contain accurate information, you may be able to make a personal injury claim.
This guide answers lots of questions about how to check your ability to make such a claim, as well as how a personal injury solicitor could help you. If you have questions about any aspect of making personal injury claims of this kind, would like our help in checking your eligibility to claim, or would like to be connected with a personal injury lawyer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 0161 696 9685.
Jump To A Section
- A Guide To Claiming For A Food Allergy At Harry Ramsden’s
- What Are Intolerances And Allergic Reactions To Foods?
- How Commonly Do People Suffer Allergies To Foods?
- I Asked For A Potential Allergen To Be Left Out
- My Request For A Potential Allergen To Be Left Out Was Ignored
- Could Allergic Reactions Be The Result Of A Restaurant’s Negligence?
- Your Rights When Dining In A Restaurant
- Could You Claim If You Did Not Tell The Restaurant About Your Allergy?
- What Foods May Cause You To Have An Allergic Reaction?
- Menu And Allergy Information For Harry Ramsden’s
- Food Allergy In Harry Ramsden’s Compensation Calculator
- Damages Which May Also Compensate You
- No Win No Fee Claims For A Food Allergy In Harry Ramsden’s
- Speaking To The Team At Legal Helpline
- References
A Guide To Claiming For A Food Allergy At Harry Ramsden’s
Suffering a food allergy sometimes means you have to be really careful, especially if you suffer badly when you consume certain allergens. If you’ve had an allergic reaction after eating in Harry Ramsden’s because, for instance, they have been negligent in providing the correct Harry Ramsden’s allergy info, via their servers, menu or website, you may be able to claim compensation if you can show the restaurant breached its duty of care. You may also receive compensation for expenses, such as loss of earnings or medical costs incurred as a result of a food allergy reaction at a Harry Ramsden’s restaurant.
This is because a restaurant has a duty of care towards their customers when preparing food that contains allergens. They should communicate to customers what allergens are present in their dishes via their servers, website or menus to ensure those with allergens avoid a reaction. If Harry Ramsden’s breach their duty of care towards you, and you suffer an allergic reaction because of their negligence, the restaurant could be held liable for your claim. Supplying evidence of the breach is crucial.
This guide offers further information on the situations that could lead to a claim for an allergic reaction to Harry Ramsden’s foods. It offers insight into the level of compensation that could be claimed, as well as how to seek out a solicitor to help you fight for the maximum compensation possible for your claim. While it is possible to claim without using a lawyer to help you, many claimants prefer to have the support in place should their case be disputed and have to be heard in court.
Most personal injury claims are settled outside of the courtroom. A skilled lawyer could negotiate a better settlement than you might be able to do alone. Here at Legal Helpline, we could connect you with a solicitor from our panel who could help you with a claim for an allergic reaction after eating in Harry Ramsden’s. All you have to do is call our team to get started.
What Are Intolerances And Allergic Reactions To Foods?
An allergic reaction could happen when your body believes it is under threat. This threat could come from a bee sting, grass pollen, pet hair, or, as we explain below, an allergen contained in your food. This allergen may not cause you harm, but your body may perceive it as a threat, and it is the immune system’s response to the perceived threat that could cause you to experience symptoms.
What Are Harry Ramsden’s Food Allergic Reactions?
There are several types of allergies to Harry Ramsden’s foods you could suffer from. These could include:
- Nut allergies
- Egg allergies
- Milk allergies
- Dairy allergies
- Wheat allergies
- Soy allergies
- Fruit allergies
- Cereal allergies
- Gluten allergies
- Celery allergies
- Seafood allergies
- Fish allergies
- Lupin allergies
- Mustard allergies
- Shellfish allergies
- Sulphur dioxide allergies
The symptoms you could experience may range from relatively minor to life-threatening, depending on the type of allergy you suffer and the way in which your body reacts to it. The main types of allergic reaction include:
Non-IgE Allergies – These types of reactions may not present right away after consuming an allergen. You could experience:
- Cramps
- Vomiting without diarrhoea
- Constipations
- Cracked, dry, itchy or red skin
IgE Allergies – These types of reactions may lead to symptoms including:
- Feeling dizzy or faint
- Nausea
- Hives
- A tingly/itchy feeling in your mouth
- Vomiting
- Swallowing issues
- Swelling in the body or face, throat or mouth
- Hay fever symptoms
- Wheeziness
Anaphylaxis – these types of reactions would usually need to be treated urgently, as they could be life-threatening. Some people that suffer from a shellfish allergy or a nut allergy, for example, could be badly affected. The list of symptoms above could be experienced when suffering anaphylaxis, along with:
- Tightness in the chest
- Collapsing
- Breathing issues
- Speaking or swallowing issues
- Dizziness
- Swelling of the tongue
No matter what kind or severity of allergic reaction you’ve experienced after eating in Harry Ramsden’s, if it was due to you having been given incorrect Harry Ramsden’s allergy info, or staff ignoring your request to leave an allergen out of your meal, you could claim compensation if you can show the restaurant breached its duty of care.
How Commonly Do People Suffer Allergies To Foods?
Allergy UK has published a list of statistics relating to allergies on its website. Some statistics that may interest you have been listed below:
- Approximately 20% of the population of the UK have an allergy of some type
- 44% of British adults have one allergy
- Nearly half of these sufferers have allergies to more than one thing
- In 2014, there were over 20,000 hospital admissions for allergic reactions
- Between 1992 and 2012, there was a sharp rise of 615% in anaphylaxis admissions in the UK
I Asked For A Potential Allergen To Be Left Out
If you are planning on eating at Harry Ramsden’s and you know you have an allergy, you may have consulted the Harry Ramsden allergy information on the menu before ordering your food. If there is a dish you would like to order that contains an allergen, you may be able to ask the staff if they could leave that allergen out when preparing your order. If you make such a request to Harry Ramsden’s staff, they should, according to government guidelines, attempt to comply with your request. If they are unable to do so, they should tell you.
Depending on what type of allergy to fish and chips dishes you have, you might ask for your meal to be prepared with:
- No Cheese
- No Eggs
- No Wheat
- No Oats
- No Fish
- No Milk
- No Nuts
My Request For A Potential Allergen To Be Left Out Was Ignored
If you have requested your food to be prepared without a certain ingredient, you would expect your request to be honoured, or that the staff would tell you that they couldn’t comply with your request. If you suffer an allergic reaction after eating at Harry Ramsden’s because staff ignored your request and included an ingredient you asked them not to include and you can prove this is what happened, you could make a claim against them for their negligence. Claims could include cases where you’ve requested:
- No Cheese
- No Eggs
- No Wheat
- No Oats
- No Fish
- No Milk
- No Nuts
Could Allergic Reactions Be The Result Of A Restaurant’s Negligence?
In order to make a claim for an allergic reaction to Harry Ramsden’s, you’d need to be able to prove that the restaurant was negligent in providing you with a food product. There are several ways in which a restaurant could be considered negligent when it comes to food allergies. These could include:
- Incidents where you were given incorrect allergy advice from servers about allergens contained in the dishes you were ordering.
- Incidents where there was inaccurate or missing information on the Harry Ramsden’s allergy menu and you ordered something that didn’t list an allergen that was present.
- Incidents where servers ignored your request to leave allergens out of your meal.
- Incidents where your food was cross-contaminated with an allergen you’d asked to be left out of your meal.
If you’re unsure as to whether you could have a Harry Ramsden’s allergy claim, why not call our expert team for free advice. We could assess your case to see whether your allergic reaction after eating at Harry Ramsden’s could lead to a claim, and could connect you with a lawyer to help fight for the compensation you deserve.
Your Rights When Dining In A Restaurant
When dining in a restaurant, the establishment has a duty of care to ensure you are kept safe from harm. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 protects you from being served food that is not as described or that could be considered defective. You could take action against Harry Ramsden’s if the restaurant caused you to suffer a personal injury, damage or loss caused by:
- Food served to you containing allergens you’d informed the staff you were allergic to
- Food served to you with an allergen that you’d asked to be omitted from your food
- Food containing allergens that were not listed on the menu or website, but were contained in your food
- Food cross-contaminated with an allergen that you’d asked to be omitted from your food
Could You Claim If You Did Not Tell The Restaurant About Your Allergy?
You may worry that because you did not tell Harry Ramsden’s staff about your allergy, you may not be able to make a claim for an allergic reaction after eating in Harry Ramsden’s, but this is not necessarily the case. You could claim compensation if the restaurant failed to list specific allergens on their menu, printed information or website and can prove this was the case.
Failing To Provide Allergy Information
Claims could be made against restaurants that have not included correct allergen information relating to the following allergens:
- Cereals that contain gluten – including rye, oats, wheat, and barley
- Crustaceans – including crayfish, lobster, crabs and prawns, for example
- Soybeans
- Fish
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Lupin
- Molluscs
- Sulphites/sulphur dioxide (if they have been added and are over 10mg/kg or 10mg/L
- Milk (lactose)
- Nuts
- Mustard
- Celery (this includes celeriac)
What Foods May Cause You To Have An Allergic Reaction?
There are a great many foods that could cause a person to have an allergic reaction. You may have just one allergy, or you may have several. Common allergies could include:
- Nut allergies
- Egg allergies
- Milk allergies
- Dairy allergies
- Wheat allergies
- Soy allergies
- Fruit allergies
- Cereal allergies
- Gluten allergies
- Celery allergies
- Seafood allergies
- Fish allergies
- Lupin allergies
- Mustard allergies
- Shellfish allergies
- Sulphur dioxide allergies
However, you may be allergic to a different ingredient. If you are unsure as to whether you have any type of allergy, from a sulphite allergy to a fish allergy, the NHS provides information on allergy testing on its website, which you may find of use.
Menu And Allergy Information For Harry Ramsden’s
Below, we have listed the items available on Harry Ramsden’s menu. However, while this is accurate at the time of posting, some dishes and ingredients may change, so please ensure you check for allergens listed on the website or menu, or ask the staff for up-to-date allergy information, in order to avoid having an allergic reaction after eating in Harry Ramsden’s.
Menu
- Chip Shop Platter
- Fish Bites
- Camembert Rounds
- Soup Of The Day
- Chicken Tenders
- Fish & Chips
- Cod Burger
- Ultimate BBQ Chicken Burger
- Halloumi Burger
- Classic Caesar Salad
- Breaded Wholetail Scampi
- British Jumbo Sausage
- Harry’s Fishcakes
- Pie Of The Day
- Roasted Vegetable Pie
Food Allergy In Harry Ramsden’s Compensation Calculator
If you’re claiming compensation for an allergic reaction after eating at Harry Ramsden’s, you may have consulted a personal injury claims calculator in order to get an idea of the value of your claim.
We should point out that these tools would only give you a very rough approximation of the compensation you could receive for your claim. This is due to the fact that your case would undergo an assessment based on the specific facts and the circumstances that relate to it. You’d also need to have an independent medical expert examine you to determine the extent of your suffering and the prognosis of recovery. This will help to work out what level of compensation could be appropriate.
In order to give you a rough indication of how much compensation could be awarded for different levels of allergic reaction, we have created the table below. The figures have been taken from the Judicial College Guidelines, a publication used by lawyers and the courts to come to a value for claims of this type.
Type/severity of reaction Notes Compensation Bracket (Approx.)
Mental Anguish Fearing for your life when suffering a reaction could lead to you being awarded a payout for mental anguish. £4,380
Slight allergic reaction A slight reaction that resolves within a few days or weeks. From around £860 to £3,710
Minor allergic reaction You may have required initial hospital treatment, but the reaction would resolve with no long-term consequences. £3,710 to £8,950
Serious allergic reaction Serious short-term reactions could be compensated under this bracket. £8,950 to £18,020
Severe allergic reaction Symptoms claimants may experience could include severe pain, diarrhoea/vomiting, and some long-term effect on their ability to work or enjoy normal social lives could remain. Claimants might have needed to have treatment in hospital for days or in some cases weeks. £36,060 to £49,270
Damages Which May Also Compensate You
Other damages you could claim for an allergic reaction after eating in Harry Ramsden’s relate to expenses incurred due to the reaction you’ve had. These could include expenses such as:
- Loss of earnings – if your allergic reaction to Harry Ramsden’s caused you to have to take time off work to recover, then you might have lost out on some of your income. If this is the case, you could claim these losses back as special damages.
- Care costs – if you needed to have someone care for you at home due to your illness, then care costs could be included within your claim.
- Medical expenses – if you’ve had to pay for prescription medicines, for example, these costs could also be compensated for.
- Travel expenses – should you have paid for transportation to get to a hospital appointment or an appointment with your personal injury lawyer, you could claim for these costs too.
It is vital that you retain the proof of any expenses you’ve incurred if you intend on claiming for them. It would therefore be wise to keep receipts, bills, bank statements and payslips in order for your lawyer to prove these expenses.
No Win No Fee Claims For A Food Allergy In Harry Ramsden’s
Claiming compensation for a food allergy at Harry Ramsden’s could be less stressful if you choose to work with a personal injury solicitor, as they could take on the leg work of proving your claim and negotiating compensation on your behalf.
What may surprise you is that you could retain the services of such a lawyer without making any upfront payments for their assistance. No Win No Fee personal injury claims require you to sign a Conditional Fee Agreement instead of paying your lawyer upfront. This document would agree to pay the lawyer a small success fee upon the conclusion of a successful claim. The fee is capped, so you can be confident that only a small proportion of your compensation would go towards legal fees, and this would only be payable in the event that a compensation payout was secured.
If the solicitor didn’t get any compensation for you, you would not pay the success fee, nor cover their costs incurred in pursuit of your claim.
To find out more about No Win No Fee agreements, or to get our help with finding a lawyer to help you make a claim under these terms, please don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll be delighted to help you.
Speaking To The Team At Legal Helpline
If you’ve had an allergic reaction after eating at Harry Ramsden’s and are not sure whether it could lead to a claim, we could provide you with help and support. We’d be happy to assess your case for free, without any obligation for you to use our services. If we feel you could have a valid claim, we could help you connect with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel to help you. You can reach our team at any time by:
- Calling 0161 696 9685
- Completing the contact form.
- E-mailing [email protected]
- Or, using our Live Chat service.
We’re ready and waiting to help you.
References
Consumer Advice On Allergies – Here, you can read more about your rights when it comes to food allergies.
Coeliacs – Specific advice relating to those with coeliac disease can be found here.
Living With An Allergic Condition – This NHS guide offers insight on how to move forward after you’ve been diagnosed with an allergy.
Allergic To Wheat? – This wheat allergy guide shows how you could take action if negligence has led to you having an allergic reaction to wheat.
FAQ On Allergy Claims – Here, some common questions about allergy claims are answered.
Peanut Allergy Claims – Find out more about making a claim for a peanut allergy here.
Guide by JS
Edited by REG