Jamie Oliver chef found dead in woods

Rex Features

A chef hired by Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant has been found hanging from a tree 18 months after joining Oliver's scheme.

Christopher Pethick, 20, was discovered in woodland near the eatery in Watergate Bay, Cornwall, on Saturday.

He was among 21 young cooks selected for the chef's training programme for troubled youngsters in May 2006.

But he dropped out after two months with "severe depression" and went on to commit offences including burglary and assault.

His dad Robert, 39, said: “We were proud when he joined Fifteen. He said it was a chance to turn his life around.

"But after a couple of months, he started to get restless and ran away. We didn't see him for a couple of months.

"And the past year he has been like a lost soul. He has been suffering from depression. He was a troubled lad. I'm sure he wasn't proud of things he was involved in."

Fifteen boss Dave Meneer said staff were “devastated” by the news.