The freshest ingredients don’t mean much if they’ve got Salmonella; and most chefs don’t have Salmonella goggles.

The bug which caused a group of Leicester City Council health inspectors to fall ill following a night out at a popular Indian restaurant has been identified as Salmonella.

Leicester City Council’s food safety team took 49 samples from the kitchen at Kayal, in Granby Street, Leicester, after 19 people reported feeling poorly after eating there, over a two-week period this month.

The popular restaurant, which has only ever had five star health and safety ratings in the past, closed immediately pending an investigation.

It has now reopened.

Inspectors found that salmonella was present in one sample – the chutney, which was freshly made on the premises each day.

Kayal owner Jaimon Thomas said the condiment was no longer on the menu, and he was now committed to re-establishing the restaurant’s previous impeccable hygiene record.

He said: “The salmonella was found in a chutney which we make each day using the freshest ingredients – namely coconut, ginger, green chilli, curry leaf and mango.

“Because of the findings, we have stopped making fresh chutney in the way that we always have for the past eight years. Customer safety is our top priority.