Chef Sentenced To Serve Jail Time After Serving Undercooked Shepherd’s Pie; One Person Dies

A chef has been sentenced to serve time after one person died and 31 others fell ill after he gave them an undercooked shepherd’s pie.

Former chef John Croucher, who worked as the head chef at the Crewe Arms in the Northamptonshire village of Hinton-in-the-Hedges, has been sentenced to four months in jail and a 12-month suspension after he admitted to violating food regulations.

His sentence comes after serving several people undercooked shepherd’s pie filled with mince at a church harvest in 2018. Thirty-one people ended up getting “unpleasantly ill” one person reportedly died after intaking the poorly prepared meal. A 92-year-old woman reportedly repeatedly vomited after eating the pie, according to The Guardian.

“On 8 October 2018, 35 villagers went to the Crewe Arms for a harvest meal. Thirty-two people ate the shepherd’s pie. A healthy and well person died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage induced from vomiting. No sentence I pass can reflect the loss caused to the family,” said Judge Sarah Campbell. “Croucher was the chef that night. The mince was not cooked properly and was placed into a pan with iced water. Croucher needed to leave, so put the mince in cling film and put it in the fridge overnight. Having left it, he cooked it again and added warm mashed potato. He did not take the temperature when it was served.”

Croucher, 40, says his actions were due to him allegedly being “rushed.”

“I hate to say it, I really hate to say it, but I think I was rushed. I was rushing.” He said he had worked in kitchens for 20 years and was now “a better chef” because of the “horrible, horrible circumstance,” Croucher said. “Remorse is an understatement. This is something I will never forget. Because of it, I am a better chef and it is just a shame the cost of it had to be what it was.”