Kristy Richardson, 38, was enjoying a wedding anniversary meal with her husband Kevin at a branch of Jamie's Italian restaurant in Portsmouth.
Diagnosed as a coealic sufferer aged 19, Mrs Richardson is unable to digest wheat and told three members of staff that she needed a gluten-free pasta dish.
Instead, she was given ordinary pasta and was violently sick for five hours afterwards.
Malcolm Gibney, for Portsmouth City Council Trading Standards, told a court in Fareham, Hampshire: "Mrs Richardson and her husband attended for lunch for their wedding anniversary with the intention of having an enjoyable meal.
"She wanted to check that the restaurant could serve a gluten free meal and she suffers from a number of other illnesses so wanted to ensure the staff knew what her needs were.
"She spoke to the maitre d' and was assured that gluten free pasta could be provided, so an order was placed.
"But within a couple of hours Mrs Richardson started to feel nauseous and continued to vomit over the next four or five hours.
"As a result she suffered a very nasty reaction and an auto-immune response to other medication she had."
A telephone call to the restaurant revealed that she had been served wheat pasta, despite telling three staff members she must have a gluten-free dish.
Environmental health experts visited the premises and an investigation was launched, revealing "lamentable failures" over food allergy issues.
The company suggested there had been a "mix up" when Mrs Richardson gave a waitress her order on November 17, 2011.
A legal battle followed, and the firm last month pleaded guilty to selling food not of the nature, substance or quality demanded by a purchaser, a breach of the Food Safety Act.
Jamie's Italian failed to exercise due diligence and take all appropriate precautions that meals were served as requested, the court heard.
New procedures and extra training have now been introduced.
The lawyer acting for Jamie's Italian said Mrs Richardson's waitress thought she ordered a vegetarian, rather than gluten-free and vegetarian option.
Henry Vann said: "Jamie's Italian sincerely apologises that it has fallen short of its food safety obligations.
"It takes this extremely seriously. It is a matter of very sincere regret to the company that any customer should suffer illness as a result of any meal served by us.
"The failure to provide to a customer what was ordered is made out and the company fully and frankly accepts that."
Mrs Richardson refused to speak on the matter because of a legal agreement drawn up as part of an out of court settlement with Jamie's Italian.
Source: The telegraph
