Yorkshire restaurant boss fined after ostrich dish made up of lamb

A Yorkshire restaurant boss has been fined after an ostrich dish on his menu was found to consist entirely of lamb.

Mohammad Ali, owner of Elamis Indian restaurant in Gildersome, West Yorkshire, landed in hot water with Trading Standards after a customer became suspicious that the ostrich nirala they had ordered contained a different meat.

A trading standards officer posed as a customer at the restaurant in May last Year before taking a sample for analysis, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The dish was described on the menu as "thin slices of marinated ostrich, low in calories". But tests revealed that it was made up entirely of lamb.

Bradford resident Ali was unable to provide invoices showing that he had purchased any genuine ostrich.

Trevor Gray, principal food officer for trading standards, said: "It's impossible for us to know how many people had actually bought this product because he doesn't keep records, but we suspect he had been misdescribing the dish for some time."

Ali pleaded guilty to selling food that wasn't of the substance described, which is an offence under the Food Safety Act.
He was fined £600 by Leeds magistrates and ordered him to pay £2,125 in legal costs as well as a £60 victim surcharge.