Head Chef – Independent Country Pub
The Legstraps, Wootton, Bedfordshire
Full-time, permanent
Competitive salary, plus a healthy share of tips
Opportunity to completely re-build the entire food offering in your own vision.
The Legstraps is a charming, independent country pub known for its warm hospitality, relaxed atmosphere and great food.
As a small, close-knit team, we care deeply about giving our customers a genuinely enjoyable experience. We are now looking for a talented, likeable, organised and commercially aware Head Chef to take ownership of our kitchen and help us build an exciting new chapter for the pub.
This opportunity would suit either a Head Chef with an independent background, or an experienced Sous Chef who understands what it takes to run a successful kitchen and feels ready to step up and take the opportunity to make a name for themselves.
You do not necessarily need to have held the title of Head Chef before. What matters is that you understand the wider responsibilities of the role, including food safety, hygiene, allergens, team management, ordering, stock control, menu costings and kitchen profitability.
The opportunity
We are in a position to rebuild the kitchen team around the successful applicant, giving you the opportunity to shape the structure, recruit the right people and establish the standards and culture you want within the kitchen.
You will be closely involved in recruiting your team and will have meaningful input into who you work alongside. We would also be happy to consider a trusted Chef de Partie or Sous Chef you have previously worked with, provided they are successful through our recruitment process.
We are looking for someone who wants genuine ownership of the food offering rather than simply being handed somebody else’s menu.
Our aim is to deliver excellent, approachable pub food that customers genuinely want to eat, combining properly executed classics with fresh ideas, seasonal specials and occasional opportunities to do something more imaginative.
Three areas will be particularly important:
- Developing an appealing and commercially viable lunch offering
- Creating an incredible Sunday roast that becomes one of the best regarded locally for both quality and value
- Building an evening menu that combines excellent pub favourites with fresh ideas and exciting standout dishes
We love a free-thinker: someone who can take something ordinary and make it special, introduce themed evenings, develop seasonal events and occasionally push the boat out with memorable culinary experiences.
Creativity is encouraged, but it must be supported by consistency, organisation, food safety and commercial understanding.
Ownership of the kitchen
As Head Chef, you will have genuine control over the day-to-day running of the kitchen.
You will be responsible for ensuring that the kitchen is appropriately staffed and able to provide the agreed food service throughout the pub’s opening hours.
Kitchen rotas, staffing deployment and the organisation of your team will be your responsibility, allowing you to structure the operation in the way you believe works best.
This does not mean that you will be expected to personally work every service. It means building, training and managing a dependable team that can maintain standards whether you are present or not.
You will also be expected to develop a capable second-in-command who can confidently take control of the kitchen in your absence.
There is a business manager in place to assist with admin and paperwork, so most of your focus can remain on day to day culinary aspects and not sitting for hours dealing with invoices and accounts. You will be given support all the way from an experienced and friendly management team who are flexible and able to assist you whenever you require.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include:
- Developing and designing seasonal lunch, evening and Sunday menus
- Costing dishes accurately and working towards agreed food GP targets
- Ensuring the kitchen provides a consistent food service throughout agreed opening times
- Creating and managing kitchen rotas
- Recruiting, training and developing a reliable kitchen team
- Building a capable second-in-command who can lead in your absence
- Maintaining consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and portion control
- Managing suppliers, ordering and deliveries
- Ensuring deliveries are received, checked and properly accounted for
- Managing stock rotation, stocktaking, wastage and availability
- Controlling food and kitchen labour costs without compromising quality
- Maintaining clear preparation, service, cleaning and closing procedures
- Ensuring full compliance with food hygiene, allergen, health and safety regulations
- Maintaining the standards required for a five-star food hygiene rating
- Working collaboratively with the owners, management and front-of-house team
- Developing specials, events, themed nights and other food-led occasions
- Listening to customer feedback and continually improving the food offering
About you
You may already be an established Head Chef, or you may be a Sous Chef who has worked closely with a Head Chef and understands the responsibility involved in running a kitchen.
You do not need to arrive with every answer already perfected. We are happy to support someone making the step up, provided they have the right foundations, attitude and understanding of what the role requires.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- Experience in a fresh-food pub, restaurant or similar kitchen
- A clear understanding of the responsibilities of a Head Chef
- Strong food-safety, hygiene and allergen knowledge
- The ability to lead, organise and motivate a small kitchen team
- Experience with ordering, deliveries, stock rotation and stock control
- An understanding of menu costings, portion control, wastage and food GP
- The ability to create sensible rotas and maintain reliable service coverage
- A calm, organised and hands-on approach
- The confidence to make decisions and take responsibility for the kitchen
- Good communication skills and the ability to work closely with front of house
- A genuine passion for producing consistently good food
- An understanding that creativity, safety, organisation and profitability must all work together
We are not looking for someone who simply wants to reproduce their previous menu.
Equally, we are not looking for creativity without structure.
We want someone who takes pride in their work, cares about the people around them and understands how to turn good ideas into a dependable and profitable kitchen operation.
What we offer
- Genuine creative freedom to develop your own menus
- Operational control over the day-to-day running of the kitchen
- The opportunity to recruit and build your own team
- Meaningful input into staffing and kitchen structure
- Support from a passionate, independent management team
- A healthy monthly share of tips
- Regular salary reviews based on agreed results
- A friendly and relaxed working environment
- The opportunity to build your own reputation alongside a well-loved local pub
- The freedom to develop events, seasonal menus and new food concepts
- The chance to take real ownership of the kitchen rather than simply maintaining somebody else’s ideas
How to apply
Please send us your CV together with a short introduction explaining:
- Your current role and level of responsibility
- The type of food you most enjoy creating
- Your experience with ordering, stock control, costings and food GP
- Your experience managing or supporting a kitchen team
- One menu, dish, service or food project you are particularly proud of
Photographs or examples of your food are welcome but not essential.
We are interested in substance, personality and someone who is willing to become a part of our close little team to strive to offer something great, rather than rehearsed answers.
If you care about great food, understand the responsibility involved in running a kitchen and like the idea of building something properly within an independent country pub, we would love to hear from you.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £36,000.00-£38,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
