Top chef Keith Bundy, seeking £300,000 damages after a horrific motorbike crash, has been told he will receive only £63,475.

Mr Bundy, 38, had earlier turned down an offer of more than £80,000 to settle his compensation claim.

He will also have to fork out costs of the High Court hearing in London which will further eat into his damages pay out.

Mrs Justice Hallett added to his woes when she ruled that his dream of joining an elite band of chefs in leading London restaurants was "unrealistic."

She said Mr Bundy, of Harley Street, Leigh, was now cooking boardroom lunches for six to eight people.

The judge added: "This was a job and a lifestyle which is more suitable than before."

Mr Bundy had sued the driver of the car involved in the crash, Harry Walker, of The Finches, Thundersley, whose insurance firm admitted liability..

At the time of the accident in November 1995 Mr Bundy was sous-chef at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel.

He had previously worked at such prestigious restaurants as the Cafe Royal and the five-star Connaught Hotel.

His counsel Miss Ferzena Aslem told the judge there was no reason why he should not have won further promotion in the world of catering. He could have ended up earning up to £60,000 a year.

However, the judge dealt Mr Bundy a hammer blow when she ruled: "I am not satisfied that before the accident Mr Bundy had what it takes to work as a head chef at a large establishment in London."

The judge told the court she doubted, in any event, whether Mr Bundy would have wanted to stay much longer at the Royal Lancaster when he could have earned similar sums working shorter hours elsewhere.

Mr Bundy was in hospital for two weeks after suffering a broken shoulder and shattered left thigh which, he claimed, still causes pain and restricts his movement.

An orthopaedic surgeon told the court: "As far as his left leg is concerned he gets good days and bad days."

Blow - chef Keith Bundy leaving court after the case

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