Chef Laura Goodman has sparked a scandal on social media following her post about 'spiking' a vegan meal.

When is a vegan not a vegan?

A group that dined at chef Laura Goodman's Carlini Italian restaurant in Shifnal, Shropshire may well be wondering.

Goodman boasted on Facebook's The Boring Group page about spiking a vegan's food, and has received death threats after a huge online backlash from readers who assumed she meant she spiked the food with meat.

Goodmans' post read, "Pious, judgmental vegan (who I spent all day cooking for), has gone to bed, believing she's a vegan." A second post said, "Spiked a vegan a few hours ago.

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Angry readers took to social media, posting one-star reviews of the restaurant, with one even suggesting she should be prosecuted for assault for serving meat to a vegan. Other readers have posted personally offensive comments.

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The Daily Mail reported that Goodman's fiancé and business partner later apologised for her comments, insisting she had not given anyone any meat.

Mike Gale was interviewed at the restaurant and said the couple had been forced to call in police after receiving death threats when the post went viral. The Daily Mail said he also suggested that Goodman had "probably had too much to drink" before posting in the early hours. Her first message was posted at 4am on December 30.

Gale also told the Daily Mail Goodman was so mortified about the posts she was "suicidal" after the scandal.

Gale said that Goodman was disappointed the group didn't order the meals she had spent hours preparing – one of the vegan diners ordered a Margherita pizza, which has mozzarella cheese and is not vegan food.

'We've completely shot ourselves in the foot," Gale told the Daily Mail. "We now understand that in the vegetarian and vegan world, saying that you've 'spiked' someone's food means that you put meat in it, which isn't the case here. I think that the whole storm that has arisen has come from that word 'spike'."

The local council said it is investigating a complaint.