UK Court Says No to “Quick and Pink” Lamb Livers

After a court in the United Kingdom ordered the Brasserie Blanc restaurant to cook lambs liver at 70…

After a court in the United Kingdom ordered the Brasserie Blanc restaurant to cook lambs liver at 70C for at least two minutes, the Michelin-starred French TV chef Raymond Blanc decided to pull the entree from all his Brasserie Bar Co. restaurants.

Through a spokeswoman, Chef Blanc said he prefers removing livers from the menu to “overcooking” them to the dissatisfaction of his customers.

The Guardian newspaper says that by pulling livers from the menu Blanc will not be contesting or challenging the court-enforced order.

On June 22nd, a woman fell ill after eating undercooked livers at the Brasserie Blanc in Covent Garden. The restaurant continued to serve the pink lamb livers. A second diner became sick from eating them on Aug. 9.

The restaurant falls under the governance of the Westminster Council, which sent an environmental health officer to investigate the two complaints. Both victims suffered from Campylobacter infections and both had consumed the pink lamb livers.

Westminster’s health officer found the lamb’s livers were not be cooked to hold at the correct temperature for two minutes. The health officer wrote a prohibition notice, ordering the restaurant not to serve the lamb livers because they presented an imminent risk to public health.

Kate Eastland, the health officer, then got District Judge Michael Snow to sign off on the order and charged the court costs to the restaurant chain.

As a TV chef, Blanc has taught that lamb’s livers should be thinly sliced and cooked for just 30 seconds on each side for medium rare, or one minute on each side for medium. He said lamb livers are best served “quick and pink.”