Viennoiserie Pastry Chef
Bostock Bakery – East Linton, East Lothian
Salary: From £29,000 per year, dependent on skills and experience
Tips: Equal share of staff tips generated across both our East Linton and North Berwick locations
Contracted hours: 45 hours per week
Normal shift pattern: 5:00am–2:30pm, five days per week
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Weekend availability is essential
There are no regular night shifts. However, overnight or adjusted working hours may occasionally be required during particularly busy seasonal production periods, such as Christmas and Easter.
About Bostock Bakery
Bostock Bakery is an independent, award winning, artisan bakery based in East Linton, producing high-quality viennoiserie, sourdough breads, pastries and savoury products for our East Linton and North Berwick locations.
We are looking for an experienced Viennoiserie Pastry Chef to join our production team.
This is a hands-on position within a busy, high-volume artisan bakery where quality, consistency and attention to detail are essential. The successful applicant will have at least two years experience working in a similar professional bakery or pastry environment and must be comfortable producing laminated and enriched dough products in high volumes while maintaining consistently high standards.
Applicants must have a solid working knowledge of laminated dough production, including mixing, butter preparation, locking in, folding, sheeting, shaping, proving and baking.
You must also have experience working with enriched doughs and understand how ingredients, dough temperature, fermentation and production conditions affect the finished product.
This role would suit someone who takes genuine pride in their work, has a strong eye for detail and understands the precision required to produce consistently high-quality viennoiserie.
The Role
As a Viennoiserie Pastry Chef, you will support the daily production of Bostock Bakery’s croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries, enriched dough products and seasonal viennoiserie.
Your normal shift will begin at 5:00am. You will work from the daily production schedule, assess doughs and products already in production, prepare and laminate new doughs, shape and finish products, manage proving and bake products to the required standard.
You will be expected to work efficiently and independently while communicating closely with the rest of the viennoiserie, pastry and production teams.
This is not an entry-level position. Applicants must have relevant professional experience working with laminated and enriched doughs and be confident working within a busy, high-volume production environment.
Main Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include:
- Mixing laminated and enriched doughs accurately and consistently
- Preparing butter blocks and other components for lamination
- Locking in butter and completing folds according to production specifications
- Operating commercial dough sheeters safely and accurately
- Monitoring dough and butter temperatures throughout the lamination process
- Assessing dough strength, elasticity, fermentation and development
- Producing consistent dough thickness and even layers
- Cutting, shaping and finishing croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries and other viennoiserie
- Producing enriched dough products such as brioche, buns and seasonal pastries
- Preparing fillings, creams, glazes, syrups and toppings
- Following recipes, production sheets and fermentation schedules accurately
- Organising products through refrigeration, freezing, proving and baking
- Monitoring proving conditions and adjusting production timings where necessary
- Loading and operating commercial ovens
- Monitoring bake quality, colour, lift, honeycomb structure and overall presentation
- Producing high volumes of viennoiserie without compromising quality
- Weighing and preparing ingredients accurately
- Ensuring products are completed on time for dispatch and service
- Completing production, traceability and food-safety records
- Monitoring ingredient, butter and packaging stock levels
- Reporting shortages, quality concerns, mistakes or production delays promptly
- Maintaining excellent food-hygiene and food-safety standards
- Cleaning mixers, sheeters, benches, ovens, equipment and production areas
- Supporting product development and seasonal range changes where required
- Supporting other areas of the bakery when required
- Helping the wider team meet daily production deadlines and sales targets
Cleaning is an essential part of this role. Every member of the bakery team is responsible for maintaining a clean, organised and safe working environment throughout the shift.
What a Typical Shift May Involve
A typical shift will begin at 5:00am with checking the production schedule and assessing doughs and pastries that have been fermenting, chilling, freezing, proving or resting overnight.
You may then prepare ingredients and butter blocks, mix doughs, complete lamination folds, sheet and shape products, prepare fillings and manage proving schedules.
You will also bake and finish products, check quality and consistency, complete production records and maintain a clean and organised workstation.
Throughout the shift, you will need to manage multiple doughs and products at different stages of production. Strong organisation, timing and communication are therefore essential.
Production requirements can change from day to day, so you must be comfortable adapting your workload while maintaining consistency, accuracy and attention to detail.
There are no regular night shifts. Some overnight or adjusted working hours may occasionally be required during peak seasonal production periods, including Christmas and Easter.
What We Expect From You
We expect every member of our production team to:
- Arrive on time and be ready to begin work at 5:00am
- Maintain reliable attendance and punctuality
- Work with purpose and urgency without compromising quality
- Follow recipes, lamination specifications and production instructions accurately
- Take responsibility for assigned tasks
- Maintain consistent standards across every production batch
- Pay close attention to dough temperature, butter condition and production timings
- Recognise and communicate quality issues before products reach customers
- Communicate problems before they affect the wider production schedule
- Ask questions when unsure
- Accept instruction and constructive feedback professionally
- Remain organised while managing several products at different production stages
- Support colleagues when another area of production requires assistance
- Maintain a clean and safe working environment
- Treat colleagues with professionalism and respect
- Work effectively both independently and as part of a team
- Contribute positively to the development and improvement of our viennoiserie range
Essential Experience and Skills
Applicants must have:
- At least two years experience working in a similar artisan bakery, pastry kitchen or high-volume production environment
- Professional experience working with laminated doughs
- Professional experience working with enriched doughs
- Experience producing viennoiserie in significant volumes while maintaining consistently high standards
- A solid understanding of dough mixing, lamination, fermentation, proving and baking
- Experience preparing butter blocks and completing lamination folds
- Experience using a commercial dough sheeter
- Experience shaping croissants, pain au chocolat and other laminated products
- Experience assessing dough and butter temperature during production
- An understanding of how temperature, humidity and fermentation affect laminated dough
- Confidence using commercial bakery and pastry equipment
- The ability to follow detailed recipes and production schedules
- Strong attention to detail and presentation
- Good organisational and time-management skills
- The ability to remain calm and productive during busy shifts
- Good communication skills
- A reliable, flexible and professional approach to work
- Availability to work weekends
- Flexibility to work occasional adjusted or overnight shifts during peak seasonal periods
- Reliable transport to East Linton for a 5:00am start
- The legal right to work in the UK
Public transport may not be available for the required starting time. Applicants must consider how they will travel to East Linton before applying.
Desirable Experience
The following would be advantageous:
- Experience producing croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries and brioche
- Experience working with sourdough or naturally leavened laminated doughs
- Experience producing filled and twice-baked viennoiserie
- Experience preparing pastry creams, frangipane, fruit fillings, glazes and syrups
- Experience with frozen viennoiserie production
- Experience developing seasonal products and new flavour combinations
- Experience using commercial spiral mixers
- Experience operating commercial deck or convection ovens
- Knowledge of different flour types and butter characteristics
- Experience completing bakery production and traceability records
- Food-hygiene or food-safety certification
- Experience supporting or training less-experienced team members
Physical Requirements
This is a physically demanding production role.
Applicants must be comfortable with:
- Standing for extended periods
- Repetitive rolling, cutting, shaping and finishing tasks
- Lifting and moving flour, butter, ingredients, dough tubs, trays and equipment
- Working around hot ovens and bakery machinery
- Working in warm, chilled and occasionally noisy environments
- Cleaning commercial equipment and production areas
- Maintaining a steady and efficient pace throughout a busy shift
Reasonable adjustments will be considered where appropriate.
Training and Development
You will receive an induction covering Bostock Bakery’s products, recipes, equipment, production systems and food-safety procedures.
Although previous professional experience with laminated and enriched doughs is essential, training will be provided on our specific products, methods and quality standards.
For the right person, there will be opportunities to take greater responsibility within the viennoiserie department, contribute to new product development and progress as the bakery continues to grow.
Salary and Staff Benefits
We offer:
- Salary from £29,000 per year, dependent on skills and experience
- An equal share of staff tips generated across both our East Linton and North Berwick locations
- A full-time, permanent contract
- 45 contracted hours per week
- No regular night shifts
- On-site staff parking
- Staff lunch provided during weekend shifts
- Staff discount
- Workplace pension
- Statutory holiday entitlement
- Training and professional development
- Opportunities for progression within the bakery
- Opportunities to contribute to seasonal products and new product development
- The opportunity to work with high-quality ingredients and artisan production methods
- A hands-on role within an experienced bakery team
Our Working Environment
Bostock Bakery is a professional, fast-paced production environment with high expectations around quality, consistency, cleanliness and teamwork.
We want to work with people who care about the products they make and understand that successful viennoiserie production relies on precision, punctuality, preparation, communication and personal responsibility.
Constructive feedback is a normal part of working within our bakery. Applicants should be willing to learn, adapt and contribute positively to the wider team.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a short covering note to:
[email protected]
Your application should include:
- A summary of your relevant bakery or pastry experience
- Details of your experience working with laminated doughs
- Details of your experience working with enriched doughs
- Examples of the viennoiserie products you have produced
- Details of the approximate production volumes you have worked with
- Your current notice period or earliest available start date
- Confirmation that you can work from 5:00am
- Confirmation that you are available for weekend work
- Confirmation that you can work occasional adjusted or overnight shifts during peak seasonal periods
- Confirmation of how you would travel to East Linton for a 5:00am start
Applications that do not demonstrate the required professional experience with laminated and enriched doughs may not be considered.
Recruitment Process
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an initial interview to discuss their experience and suitability for the position.
Applicants may then be invited to attend a practical working trial so that we can assess their dough knowledge, lamination skills, shaping, organisation, pace, consistency and ability to work within our production team.
All working-trial arrangements, including the duration and terms, will be confirmed in advance.
References and evidence of the right to work in the UK may be requested before employment begins.
Pay: From £29,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
