Julie’s restaurant in Holland Park, West London — popular with celebrities such as Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kylie Minogue and Jeremy Paxman — was forced to pay more than £11,500 in fines and legal costs for misleading consumers.

Johnny Eckerperigan, its managing partner, was given warning that if he appeared before the court again on similar offences he could expect a prison sentence.

The tough stance by District Judge Mary Connelly, sitting at West London Magistrates’ Court, has sent a warning shot to restaurateurs nationwide. It is believed to be the first time that a restaurant has faced prosecution for passing off nonorganic meat as organic, although action has been taken against butchers’ shops.

Local authority enforcement officers are preparing to step up action against such food fraud and next year will be given a testing kit that can identify non-organic meat from organic. The test devised by the Food Standards Agency and the Central Science Laboratory can detect antibiotic drugs that are banned in organic meat production.

The successful prosecution by Kensington and Chelsea council’s environmental health inspectors, however, was achieved through a painstaking paper audit trail. Officers conducting a routine hygiene inspection spotted that the restaurant listed dishes of sausages, marinated roast chicken and spice-crusted rack of lamb as organic. When they checked meat delivery records, however, they found that not one piece of organic meat had been delivered to the restaurant between October 1 and November 21 last year. This saved the resaurant nearly £4,200 during the 52 days in question, the court was told.

Mr Eckerperigan pleaded guilty at the hearing last Tuesday to offences under section 15 of the Food Safety Act 1990. “It was purely a mistake and I had taken my eye off the ball,” he said. He was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £4,297 legal costs. No one at Julie’s was available for comment yesterday.

Fiona Buxton, Kensington and Chelsea council’s cabinet member for public health and environment, said she hoped that the fine imposed would send a warning to other restaurants that this kind of behaviour would not be tolerated. “This was a very serious case indeed and customers have a right to expect to receive what is advertised on the menu,” she said. “For many visitors to the restaurant this has led to a betrayal of lifestyle. Consumers buy into the idea of organic food either due to the health implications or in support of good animal husbandry. Julie’s restaurant has cheated them of these values.”

Robin Maynard, campaigns director at the Soil Association, which champions organic farming, welcomed the council action and fine. “The tougher the policing by trading standards and environmental health officers, the better it is both for genuine, committed organic outlets and for organic consumers,” he said.

John Dyson, food and technical adviser to the British Hospitality Association, said: “People are going to have to be very careful and they must comply with trades description regulations. The publicity and level of fines over this case will be a warning shot for everyone in the business.”

Among the dishes on the menu are: Julie’s sausages with olive oil mash and cranberry onions for £13.50; sage, mustard and balsamic roasted chicken with shallots and pumpkin, £15; and spice-crusted rack of lamb with caramelised pear and blackcurrant jus, £17.

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