A former Fat Duck junior pastry chef is suing her past employer for £200,000. Sharon Anderson has claimed cooking in Heston Blumenthal’s famous restaurant left her with chronic wrist pain, and said “fast, arduous and repetitive” food preparation left her with a serious strain injury.

Ms Anderson is suing for damages and is arguing that delicate tasks she was given caused her injury, and also led to bouts of depression and anxiety, all of which have left her unable to work since she left the restaurant in November 2015, the Evening Standard reports.

The restaurant is believed to be readying to fight negligence allegations in the High Court and has denied liability. It has responded to say that Ms Anderson’s roles were common to the sort of patisserie practised in other “fine dining restaurants”.

Among Ms Anderson’s allegations are claims she was required, for hours on end every day, to use tweezers to pack hundreds of sweets into cellophane bags, make chocolate playing cards, and create whisky wine gums.

The case is due to return to court next year.