A supermarket shopper in Coventry was left stunned after she was asked to provide identification to buy a slice quiche .
A checkout assistant at the Tesco store in Cannon Park refused to sell 24-year-old Christine Cuddihy a piece of cheese and onion tart until she showed some ID that proved she was over 21.
After spending several minutes arguing with the cashier, Miss Cuddihy was forced to show her driving licence in order to buy the 51p snack.
She said: “The girl told me, ‘You don’t look over 21. I need to see some proof of age’.”
”I told her I was certain the proof of age laws do not apply to quiche but she just said ‘We have to be really strict now and this applies to quiche bought over the counter’.”
”At first I thought she was joking but her face was deadly serious. I didn’t quite know what to say. It was very embarrassing, what on earth is dangerous about a slice of quiche ?”
“I was so insulted they thought I could not be trusted with a harmless snack. I was really embarrassed and just wanted to get out of the shop.”
Christine, from nearby Leamington Spa, added: “It was rush hour and there was a queue forming behind so I just showed her my driving licence and rushed out. I was so hungry that I didn’t even bother kicking up a fuss or complaining to the manager. I just wanted to eat my quiche .
“The irony is I’ve bought alcohol from the same store dozens of times without being asked for ID. The whole thing is ridiculous.”
Tesco has apologised for the incident and said customers did not have to prove their age to buy quiche .
A spokesman said: We’re at a loss to say what happened here. We couldn’t find the staff member who asked for the ID.”
“Age-related prompts at till are set centrally and there obviously isn’t one on quiche .”
