A THREE-year-old girl almost died after suffering a serious allergic reaction to food at a wedding reception.

Maizy Harman was at a family wedding at Kilnwick Percy Golf Club, near Pocklington, when she was served food that sparked a life-threatening reaction.

Her mum Caroline Harman, from Dringhouses, York, said the venue - which has changed hands since the incident - had been told in advance of her daughter's allergies.

Caroline said: “My sister-in-law took Maizy to the toilet and she started with vomiting and diarrhoea and breathing difficulties. She went limp, her eyes rolled into her head and she went lifeless. But still, we didn’t realise how ill she was. The doctor later said she was very close to death, and if she hadn’t got to hospital she would have died.”

A guest at the wedding had an inhaler which was used to help open Maizy’s airways. Paramedics then arrived and gave her adrenaline and also used an inhaler outside the venue before taking her to hospital.

Caroline said she had never seen Maizy suffer such a serious reaction - which she said happened after eating chicken goujons and a chocolate brownie served at the venue - and it was not until a court hearing this week that she realised how serious it had been.

She said: “On the day I was obviously shocked it was happening.

“My sister-in-law did extra training on allergens and recognised it as anaphylaxis. When we heard in court how close we were to losing her... I couldn’t come to work the next day, I was so shaken up that we came so close.”

Doctors recommended the incident be reported, and an investigation was launched by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

On Monday, the company which then ran the golf club - LLP Dixfield - admitted contravening or failing to comply with EU provisions concerning food safety and hygiene at Hull Crown Court and was fined £2,000, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £5,295.75.

Andrew Buxton, food services manager for the council, said: “It is important that food businesses take their responsibilities seriously and ensure that staff are appropriately trained and adequate systems are in place to control allergens that may present a serious threat to some consumers.

“Businesses must be able to identify the allergens present in the foods that they supply and ensure that this information is communicated accurately to consumers. Also, as in this case, where a business agrees to provide food to a customer with an allergy, they must ensure that the food does not contain the allergen as an ingredient and take steps to avoid cross-contamination.”

Although Maizy has not experienced any lasting physical effects after the drama - which was two years ago this week - Caroline said the mental effects were still evident.

She said: “She has a real fear of food. Last night was the first time she’s stayed at a friend’s house for tea and she was really anxious about that. She won’t eat out anymore."

LLP Dixfield apologised to Caroline and her family in court through its barrister.

Kilnwick Percy Golf Club is no longer run by LLP Dixfield, which The Press has not been able to contact.