The Grove Farm, near junction 21 of the M1, will be shut until after Christmasand all bookings over the festive period have been cancelled.

Public Health England said it first became aware of a problem at the venue in April after several people went to their GPswith stomach bugs and were found to have Salmonella poisoning. It said some of those affected were diners at Grove Farm, but was unable to confirm how many.

A spokesman said the restaurant was given a “deep clean” in the summer because of concerns, but the disease resurfaced recently, with more people falling ill.

This week, the restaurant’s owners, Greene King, voluntarily closed the premises, in Barton Close, Enderby.

Manager Amy Robertson said: “The decision to close has not been taken lightly.

“We have been working tirelessly with Environmental Health and Public Health England to try to identify if Grove Farm is associated with a cluster of salmonella cases in Leicestershire. While a number of those reporting sickness have not eaten with us, we are trying to understand if our pub could have played any part in illnesses reported by a very small number of our customers.

Show the public the menu, and where ingredients come from.