Celebrity chef upsets viewers with his cat casserole

Italy - A top Italian food writer has been suspended indefinitely from the country’s version of the television programme Ready Steady Cook for recommending stewed cat to viewers as a “succulent dish”. RAI, the public broadcasting network, said that it had dropped Beppe Bigazzi, 77, for offering the recipe on La Prova del Cuoco, which is broadcast at midday on the main channel. ---...More

Stupid News - Chef: sorry for suggesting poison plant in salad

Stupid News - Chef: sorry for suggesting poison plant in salad

LONDON - A British celebrity chef says he's sorry for mistakenly recommending a deadly plant as a tasty salad ingredient.

Anthony Worrall Thompson says he meant to suggest using the weed fat hen, a member of the spinach family whose leaves are edible. He instead told Healthy and Organic Living magazine for its July edition that henbane could be used in salads.

Henbane, whose name means "killer of hens," is a toxic plant that can cause hallucinations, drowsiness and disorientation if ingested. Large doses can kill.

The magazine issued a correction Monday on its Web site. Worrall Thompson told reporters he's sorry for the mix-up, which he called "a bit embarrassing."