Who knew Manchester, U.K., had such fancy hotels?

Diners at Salford’s luxury Lowry Hotel reported fever, dizziness and vomiting after attending a fundraiser at what has been dubbed Manchester’s most fashionable hotel.

The outbreak is being linked to chicken pate served at a charity dinner and is now being investigated by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and officers from Salford council.

The five-star facility gets zero stars for its new addition to the things-not-to-say-after-an-outbreak category: It is the first incident of its kind at the hotel since it opened 10 years ago.

And be careful when lawyers get sick.

Solicitor Alex Speed, 44, from Stockport, told how he fell ill after attending the event. “Based on what our table ate, I know that the people who had the tomato soup as a starter didn’t get ill. It’s reasonable to assume the pate was responsible.”

He has now launched a compensation claim on behalf of seven clients.

Dr Rosemary McCann, a consultant with the HPA, said 80 guests had so far reported symptoms – and a number of cases of campylobacter had now been confirmed by laboratory tests.

Hotel bosses confirmed that the pate dish had been prepared by hotel staff for the dinner on October 8. General manager Peter Kienast said, “We are determined to get to the cause of the issue and the detailed investigation is reviewing every stage of the process from the food source itself to its delivery.”

‘The Lowry Hotel has very stringent procedures and training methods to ensure the highest quality of hygiene in our kitchens.

GM Kienast, you may want to check out those kitchen procedures.