A teenager was rushed to hospital after having one bite of a takeaway curry on her birthday.
Eleanor Lincoln was celebrating turning 18 and ordered a chicken tikka masala from Khan's restaurant in Heaton, Newcastle.
She has a nut allergy and immediately had a reaction to the food, going into anaphylactic shock.
A worker at the restaurant has since been fined over the breach of food hygiene regulations, reports ChronicleLive.
Eleanor's mum Bridie Lincoln treated her daughter with an Epi pen as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
Doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary had to give the teen steroids as she struggled to breathe.
She was kept in hospital overnight for observation but discharged the next day.
Bridie, 51, admits she feared losing her daughter.
She said: "I couldn't believe what was happening. This was the first time she's had a severe reaction.
"It was like being trapped in a nightmare. She could have died over something so simple. But it just wasn't her day to die."
With Eleanor's milestone birthday coming as the country remained under Covid lockdown restrictions in March, her family decided to plan a celebration at home.
"It was her 18th birthday and it was full lockdown so we tried to make it as special as we could. We had balloons and Champagne and we all got dressed up," said Bridie.
It was the first time the family had used Khan's Restaurant as their usual takeaway was closed.
Bridie said they placed their order via an app and specifically asked for no peanuts.
But not long after her first bite Eleanor, whose peanut allergy was diagnosed when she was six, realised something was not right.
Eleanor served herself, and straight away she said: "Mum I think it's got peanuts in it."
Bridie explained: "She said she could feel her lips tingling."
As Eleanor's lips and tongue began to swell Bridie administered the Epi-pen and phoned an ambulance.
Eleanor was sick, and her mum believes this could have been what saved her life as she was able to get some of the allergen out of her body.
"If Eleanor hadn't of been sick she would have died," said Bridie.
Newcastle City Council’s Environmental Health Team launched an investigation after the incident.
They found that when the order was made the family specifically asked for no peanuts, but staff missed the crucial information.
And peanut and almond protein were found in the meal.
Food business operator, Samir Najeeb, of Khan’s Restaurant, was charged with two breaches one under the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations and one under the Food Safety Act.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges but was found guilty of the Food Hygiene Regulations charge.
He was fined £450 with £3,000 in costs at Newcastle Magistrates Court.
The charge under the Food Safety Act was dismissed by the court.
Eleanor has now fully recovered from her ordeal and is studying physics and astrophysics at University in Manchester.
And Bridie hopes her daughter's near miss will serve as a life-saving warning.
"You have got to check the ingredients in everything," she said. "For 12 years after Eleanor was diagnosed we have never had any problems.
"I want to highlight that this can happen even when you ask for a peanut-free meal. You just can't be complacent. Ingredients can change and staff can change."
Bridie is now urging all allergy sufferers to follow-up online food orders with a phone call to make sure their requirements have been received and understood.
She would also like restaurants to think twice about using potentially harmful ingredients in dishes where they are not necessary.
