THE owner of a Cornwall deli collection has taken legal action against publishing giant Bloomsbury, claiming it has used the deli’s trademarked brand on one of its recently published cookery titles.

Kate Attlee - who has Sabzi outlets in Truro, Falmouth, Padstow and Nansledan, near Newquay – asserts that Yasmin Khan’s book of the same name is an infringement of her intellectual property rights, and that Bloomsbury has refused requests to change the title.

Mrs Attlee, 37, launched her first deli in Truro in 2019 shortly after reaching the quarter finals of BBC’s MasterChef. Her Iranian heritage heavily influences the daily-changing menus, and the Sabzi collection now extends to four delis, a website and online store, and a range of 14 products.

Recipes have been mailed free of charge to 5,000 Sabzi newsletter subscribers and published on its website and social media since 2023, and an eponymous book collating and building on this collection was planned.

“I invested in trademarking Sabzi, as I felt it was important to protect my brand at the beginning of its journey.,” said Mrs Attlee. “For the last six years, I have invested all my time, energy and passion into building a hospitality business that offers secure year-round employment, providing our customers with a sustainable, delicious and affordable dining option on the high street.

“I am so dismayed that a brand as big and powerful as Bloomsbury has not respected my legal rights, and has taken the opportunity to publish a book using the name Sabzi, even going so far as to use similar stylisation.

“I have always enjoyed reading Yasmin Khan’s recipes and of course trust that this wasn’t done deliberately. However, there is no doubt that publishing using the Sabzi trademark undermines the many years of hard work by myself and my team in establishing our Sabzi brand.”

Bloomsbury has been approached for comment.