Diners taste deadly delicacies for charity (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Diners taste deadly delicacies for charity organised by Gregg Wallace

4:30pm Monday 4th March 2013 in News By Zoe Forsey, Senior Reporter

Brave volunteers from St Albans tucked into a feast of potentially poisonous dishes in the name of charity.

Val Langford and Sam Woods, who work at St Albans based charity Abbeyfield, which supports elderly people, were challenged to eat a meal that could potentially kill them last Wednesday.

The fundraiser, which was organised by television presenter Gregg Wallace, included dishes such Japanese Pufferfish, which contains high amounts of Tetrodotoxin and the world’s hottest chilli.

Ms Woods, PR and marketing officer at the Victoria Street based charity, said: "The food was beautifully presented, which made it all the more disconcerting because we all knew that everything we ate was potentially lethal.

"Each dish served was met with a silence as diners determined what innocuous item on the plate could potentially be their last bite.

"It was definitely a story that I will be able to dine out on in years to come.

"Not many people can lay claim to eating the deadly delicacies that were laid before us."

The pair joined more than 100 other diners for the challenge in a pop up restaurant named Cafe De Mort in the crypt of a London Church.

The event was set up as part of a scheme to try and get more people to include a charity in their will.

Ms Langford, the charities senior fundraising and legacy officer, said: "Café de Mort is a fun and quirky, but there's a serious message behind it.

"It’s designed to encourage people to consider leaving a gift to charity when writing a will.

"After all, nobody knows the importance of a having a will more than someone who could be about to eat their last meal. No gift is too big or too small."