For 30 years Jo Rose meticulously avoided eating meat.

Eastern Daily Press: Gary and Jo Rose had a unpleasant experience at The Shoemakers in Norwich. Jo doesn't eat meat, only fish but had chicken nuggets mixed with her scampi meal.Byline: Sonya DuncanCopyright: Archant 2018Gary and Jo Rose had a unpleasant experience at The Shoemakers in Norwich. Jo doesn't eat meat, only fish but had chicken nuggets mixed with her scampi meal.Byline: Sonya DuncanCopyright: Archant 2018 (Image: Archant 2018)

But decades of hard work and dedication ended after one moment of carelessness by Norwich pub staff.

Mrs Rose, who eats fish but not meat, ordered scampi at the Shoe Makers in Norwich - but when she put one of the pieces in her mouth, it turned out to be a chicken nugget.

The pescatarian, from Long Stratton, was visiting the Sandy Lane pub on Sunday, January 14 to celebrate her husband Gary Rose's birthday.

Mrs Rose, who feels strongly about not eating meat, ordered the scampi while her husband opted for a vegetarian dish.

Eastern Daily Press: Gary and Jo Rose had a unpleasant experience at The Shoemakers in Norwich. Jo doesn't eat meat, only fish but had chicken nuggets mixed with her scampi meal.Byline: Sonya DuncanCopyright: Archant 2018Gary and Jo Rose had a unpleasant experience at The Shoemakers in Norwich. Jo doesn't eat meat, only fish but had chicken nuggets mixed with her scampi meal.Byline: Sonya DuncanCopyright: Archant 2018 (Image: Archant 2018)

The 71-year-old said: 'I chose the scampi for lunch and was really enjoying it. I put a piece in my mouth, I wasn't looking at my plate as we were busy talking and laughing, but I quickly realised that something was horribly wrong.

'It wasn't scampi, it was a chicken nugget and it made me feel really sick as I hadn't eaten a single piece of meat in 30 years.'

Following the incident, Mr Rose called over a waitress and asked to speak with the manager.

'The waitress apologised immediately, but it wasn't her fault, she was only doing her job,' he said. 'She went off to find the manager, only to return alone. Apparently they were too busy to speak to us.

'At the end of the meal they took £10 off our £30 bill, but they still didn't seem to think it was important, that's what really annoys us.'

Mrs Rose added: 'The experience really ruined our day. I'll never be going back there again.'

A spokesman for Greene King, which owns the Shoe Makers, said: 'We are very sorry for what happened on this occasion. The pub was extremely busy and the isolated incident was down to human error.

'As soon as the mistake had been realised we apologised to the guest and offered a full refund.'

She added: 'We are taking appropriate action to ensure something like this cannot happen again.'