A widow has launched legal action against an artisan cheese producer after her husband died from consuming reblochon contaminated with a foodborne bacteria.
Carina Parkes is suing The Old Cheese Room, a Wiltshire-based cheesemaker, following the death of her husband Roger in February 2023.
The High Court in London heard that Roger Parkes, who worked as both a painter and chef in Chichester, West Sussex, became gravely ill with listeria after eating cheese from a Valentine's Day gift box purchased by his wife.
The award-winning company, operated by master cheesemaker Julianna Sedli and her husband Karim Niazy from their base in Corsham, accepts its Baronet cheese was infected with the potentially fatal bacteria.
However, despite Mrs Parkes seeking more than £200,000 in damages, the firm disputes responsibility for his death.
According to court documents submitted by Shahram Sharghy, representing the widow, the cheese box arrived at the Parkes residence on February 10 2023.
Roger Parkes took his first bite of the Baronet cheese - a semi-soft variety produced from organic Jersey milk - on February 17, and continued eating it over several days.
Four days later, on February 21, emergency services were called after he became severely unwell.
He was initially admitted to St Richards Hospital in Chichester before his condition worsened, requiring a transfer to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton on February 23 - where he was diagnosed with listeria infection.
"Despite the best efforts of medical practitioners, Mr Parkes's condition continued to deteriorate and he sadly died on Feb 27," Mr Sharghy told the court.
A coroner's inquest held in September 2024 determined the cheese had been contaminated with listeria during the manufacturing process, rendering it "unfit for human consumption".
The official cause of death was recorded as multiple organ failure and listeria meningoencephalitis.
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Following Mr Parkes' death, The Old Cheese Room issued a product recall through the Food Standards Agency in March that year, withdrawing a batch of Baronet cheese from sale after two others also fell ill.
Mr Sharghy argued the company "failed to remove the cheese from sale and caused, permitted and suffered the contaminated cheese to be consumed by Mr Parkes in such quantities as to make him seriously ill and die as a result of contracting listeria and suffering multiorgan failure."
Alexander MacPherson, representing The Old Cheese Room, acknowledged the contamination but contested liability, insisting the burden of proof lies with the widow to demonstrate the cheese caused her husband's death.
"It is noted that Mr Parkes had undergone extensive aortic surgery in the few months preceding his death and that such surgery included a spinal drain in the context of E coli sepsis," he stated.
The barrister argued Mr Parkes faced significant risk of developing paralysis or central nervous system infection, regardless of the listeria exposure, suggesting his death may have resulted from his existing heart condition and subsequent surgery, rather than the contaminated cheese.
Mr MacPherson is also disputing the compensation amount being sought by the widow.
The matter will proceed to a pre-trial hearing.
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