A chef at a refugee centre in Clifden, Co Galway who refus­ed to give a resident an extra portion of cheese with his meal, has been awarded €10,000 in compensation after he was dismissed over the incident.

Lukasz Langowski of Oughterard, Co Galway, told the Employment Appeals Tribunal in a ruling published last week he was employ­ed as head chef at the Dún Gibbons Inn in Clifden,which provided board and lodgings for 80 to 100 refugees.

Langowski told the tribunal there was a strict policy that everybody got exactly the same portion of food.

Langowski said when the resident – referred to as 'S' – asked for extra cheese he told him that there was a long queue behind him and if he wanted to he could go down and "buy it in SuperValu".

S complained to the centre's owner that he was "distraught and felt humiliated" by the chef's remarks. He de­manded a written apology from the chef and also forwarded his letter of complaint to two other bodies involved in working with refugees.