The Dalmunzie Hotel in Spittal of Glenshee, Perthshire is being sued by a former employee for £25,000 after he claims he had not been warned of the dangers posed by an avocado.

Michael McCarthy aged 21, had been cutting avocados when an unripe one slipped whilst he was trying to cut it, forcing him to lose control of his knife and cut his little finger. He claims the hotel is responsible for his injury as during his training he had been shown how to cut the fruit but not warned that it may not be ripe. He also claims that the 10 inch knife he was provided with was not suitable for his task.

After the accident Mr McCarthy’s hand was bandaged and he was required to finish his shift. He later went to hospital and was off work for two months following surgery, losing £1000 in wages.

Mr McCarthy had started work at The Dalmunzie Hotel in 1999 as a commis chef. He claims the accident which occurred in September has dashed his dreams of becoming an RAF chef and forced him to pursue another career as a call centre worker.

The court action states that at the time of the incident the restaurant was busy and that Mr McCarthy had already cut 12 avocados without a problem. Alex Winton the hotels owner said: “It is very sad that he is doing this because we got on very well with him. He had been fine about it and wanted to come back to work. There is no-one in this hotel who has ever been allowed to cut soft fruit or avocado in that way.”