A FORMER chef employed by the celebrity River Cottage restaurant blamed its zero-hours contract regime for leading him into a spiralling depression and relapsing back into drug addiction.

Leon Benjamin Hall worked as a chef and helped with general kitchen duties at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s nationally acclaimed restaurant near Axminster.

But after being employed on a controversial zero hours contract, where working hours are not guaranteed, he was not given as much work as he hoped and could not provide for his family.

When police were called to an address in Chard after reports of suspicious activity they stopped the defendant driving away from the scene and he admitted he had gone there to buy drugs.

Hall, 37, of Kings Lane, Axmouth, pleaded guilty to being in possession of a quantity of heroin at Chard on July 14 when he appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said that the police were called to Beckington Crescent in Chard after a member of the public had contacted them about some suspicious goings-on at an address there.

“Hall was stopped driving a vehicle away from the address and he was told he was going to be searched as they suspected that drugs were involved,” she said.

“They found six small wraps containing brown powder from the ashtray of his car and the defendant told them they would not find any more.”

After the substance was analysed by the police it was found to be a total of 0.23g of the class A drug.

Defending solicitor Louise Eaves said that Hall had previously suffered a serious drug addiction to heroin until 2006 but had gone into rehab and combatted the problem and had remained drug-free until this occasion.

She said that he met his current partner while they were both in rehab and they had moved to Devon where the defendant had been employed at the River Cottage restaurant as a chef and for general kitchen duties.

“However, he was put on a zero hours contract and just did not get the amount of work he was hoping for and his family suffered significant financial difficulties,” she said.

“As a result of this Hall was suffering from depression and sadly relapsed into heroin use.

“Since this offence he has now re-engaged with a drug addiction agency and is now clean, and intends to stay clean.”

She said that although the defendant was currently unemployed he was engaging in village life and offering his services as a chef to WI meetings and other events but was now anxious to get back into work to help his family.

The magistrates told Hall it was good to hear he had “turned a corner” and had taken sensible steps to get his life back on the right track.

For the offence they fined him £50 and ordered him to pay a £180 court charge and a £20 victim surcharge.