Dom Joly was forced to sign a legal waiver to take home a ‘doggy bag’ from a restaurant.

The complicated form was issued to the comic at a restaurant part-owned by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc before he could take any of his leftover food away with him.

The Trigger Happy TV star, 57, posted about the bizarre practice on his Instagram after visiting the Brᴀsserie Blanc in Cheltenham: ‘Just had to sign a disclaimer form in order to take a doggy bag away from @cheltenhamblanc – seems a little excessive? Anybody ever come across this before? My dogs are not that litigious.’

Brᴀsserie Blanc in Cheltenham refused to allow the diner to take home his unfinished chicken, mash and veg before he agreed to indemnify himself and his guests ‘from and against all claims, losses, liabilities, damage, costs, charges, fines, penalties and expenses’ that could arise from him eating it at home.

The restaurant said the document was designed to stop diners from suing it if they took the £22.50 grain-fed chicken Sunday Roast dinner home, failed to store or refrigerate it properly and became ill. But management have admitted they had never been sued.

Written in convoluted legalistic jargon, the ‘indemnity form’ asks diners to ‘confirm that I will be taking away [the food or drink] into the house/home (“the premises”) for the consumption (“function”)’.

Dom Joly, 57, was forced to sign a legal waiver to take home a ‘doggy bag’ from a restaurant

The complicated form was issued to the comic at a restaurant part-owned by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc before he could take any of his leftover food away with him 

The form was issued at a restaurant part-owned by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc (pictured in 2022)

It continues: ‘I and my guests will then be able to consume this food or drink.’ But the diner must fulfil two requirements.

Firstly, they must ‘ensure that all applicable licensing laws are complied with’ and ‘ensure that no sales of liquor are made on the premises’.

Secondly, they must: ‘Observe and comply with all legal requirements relating to food and its preparation, food safety and health and safety, together with any other requirements affecting catering premises and/or premises for the preparation of food (as defined by the Food Safety Act 1990, whether statutory or otherwise) and all new relating Regulation.’

There are 14 Brᴀsserie Blanc restaurants across the country, with four in London, and ten in Beaconsfield, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Chichester, Hale Barns, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Portsmouth and Winchester.

Sarah Hesketh, 31, from North London, previously told the Mail that she had experienced the same treatment at their Oxford branch.

Outlining how she was asked to sign a legal waiver, she said: ‘I was having Sunday lunch with my boyfriend and didn’t manage to finish my main course, so thought I’d take it away to eat on my way home.

‘But when I asked the waitress to wrap it up she said I had to sign a waiver. I did it without thinking, but the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. 

‘It is a completely pointless bit of paperwork. I only wanted to take away the tart that I was already eating.’

The Trigger Happy TV star poked fun at the bizarre practice on his social media

The Brᴀsserie Blanc restaurant serves Sunday Roast for £22.50, but Mr Joly claimed he had to sign a legal waiver before he took home his leftovers 

The Brᴀsserie Blanc in Cheltenham (pictured) refused to allow Mr Joly to take home his unfinished chicken, mash and veg before he agreed to indemnify himself

Brᴀsserie Blanc said the form is a standard one provided by environmental health officers and used by many restaurants. A spokesman said: ‘Although we don’t have to use it, staff are strongly recommended to as we don’t have a licence to serve takeaway food.’

Restaurant critic Richard Harden, co-founder of Harden’s London Restaurants guides, said: ‘I would never ask for a doggy bag in the first place. But even if I were to, I don’t see the use of this form.

‘I’ve never heard of such a thing. This is just more nonsense designed to interfere with the operation of common sense.’