Head Chef - National Trust : Job Details

Summary

Are you looking to develop your career in food and drink? Did you know that the National Trust, Europe's largest conservation charity, is also renowned for its food and hospitality? We run 185 cafes all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we'd love you to join us. 

We’re looking for a Head Chef to join us. Because we are in a rural area, please think about how you’d be able to get here for work, before applying for the job.

Benefits: We want to help you look after the things that matter to you, such as saving for your future, getting a discount on your weekly shop, or encouraging you to find a work-life balance. Please read our package, below, to see what benefits we offer you.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, some weekend and bank holiday working will be expected.

Salary: £28,000 pa

Duration: Permanent

Interview date: 20th February 2025

What it's like to work here Working at The White Cliffs of Dover is a rewarding and dynamic experience, especially when you're part of a fun, vibrant team. Every day brings something new, whether you're serving up delicious homemade treats or chatting with visitors about their day out. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with a shared passion for great food, sustainability, and the beautiful surroundings. 

You’ll help to build a great place to work, which includes showing empathy and giving support to team members when needed. The aim is to foster a positive spirit where everyone is focussed on giving the best possible service to visitors. 

By maintaining high standards of food hygiene and COSHH procedures, you’ll minimise risks to visitors, staff and contractors.

To find out more about what it’s like to work in a food and beverage team for the National Trust,  click here to watch our video.

What you'll be doing

As Head Chef, your main focus will be within the kitchen. But you’ll also work closely with the Food and Beverage management team to develop delicious menus using local produce, adapting to the seasons and working within the framework of our ‘National Trust Cookbook’.

You’ll look for new ways to increase income and meet financial targets through managing stock and waste. You’ll be preparing food from scratch using fresh seasonal ingredients. You’ll be confident in baking cakes, brownies and sausage rolls as well as making soups, stews and more.

You’ll support and manage the team, guided by the Trust’s values, empowering them to give the best possible service to visitors and helping to build a great place to work.

We’ll give you an induction that fits the job, and training in allergens and food safety, plus any mentoring needed to help you in your role. You can sign up for further professional training and development if you wish.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all of the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.

Who we're looking for

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

•Experienced as a professional chef, with a passion for food and a friendly and positive attitude.

•Confident about following recipes and batch-cooking, and willing to learn.

•Aware of health and safety compliance.

•Happy leading a team, and able to set personal objectives and give feedback to help improve performance.

•Aware of budgets such as increasing income and controlling costs.

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

•Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

•Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

•Rental deposit loan scheme

•Season ticket loan

•EV car lease scheme 

•Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts

•Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

•Flexible working whenever possible

•Employee assistance programme

•Free parking at most Trust places

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.