Head Chef – The Hide at Herons Mead
Location: Herons Mead Holiday Park
Position: Head Chef
Hours: Full-Time (42.5 hours per week)
Benefits: Potential for performance-related bonuses
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced, motivated and hands-on Head Chef to lead the kitchen team at The Hide at Herons Mead holiday Park..
This is a key position within the business and requires someone with proven professional culinary experience, strong leadership skills and the ability to take full responsibility for the successful day-to-day running of the kitchen.
The successful candidate must have a recognised Food Hygiene qualification and a strong working knowledge of food safety, allergens, HACCP, COSHH and Health & Safety requirements.
The Hide is a busy bar and restaurant serving holidaymakers, holiday home owners, local residents and visitors. We are looking for someone who takes pride in producing consistently high-quality, home-cooked food while maintaining excellent standards of cleanliness, organisation and food safety.
Key Responsibilities
- Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the kitchen.
- Lead, manage, motivate and develop the kitchen team.
- Prepare and deliver high-quality, consistent food to the standards expected by the business.
- Lead by example and take an active, hands-on role in food preparation and service.
- Ensure food is prepared and served efficiently during busy services.
- Organise kitchen rotas and staffing levels in line with the needs of the business.
- Manage food ordering, deliveries, stock rotation and stock levels.
- Monitor food costs, portion control and wastage to help maintain agreed margins.
- Work with management to develop menus, specials and seasonal dishes.
- Ensure dishes are appropriately costed before being introduced to the menu.
- Maintain consistent presentation, portion sizes and quality across all dishes.
- Ensure accurate allergen information is maintained and correctly communicated to the team.
- Maintain excellent food hygiene and kitchen cleanliness standards at all times.
- Ensure all food is correctly labelled, dated, stored and rotated.
- Maintain accurate temperature checks, cleaning records and all required food safety documentation.
- Ensure compliance with HACCP, COSHH, Health & Safety and all relevant food hygiene legislation.
- Ensure the kitchen is maintained to a high standard and is inspection-ready at all times.
- Train and develop members of the kitchen team.
- Ensure kitchen equipment is used correctly and maintenance issues are reported promptly.
- Work closely with the Front of House team and management to ensure smooth service and a positive customer experience.
- Deal professionally with any food-related customer feedback or complaints.
- Support functions, events, Sunday service and other busy periods as required.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, control costs, reduce waste and increase kitchen profitability.
Essential Requirements
Applicants must have:
- Proven professional culinary experience within a commercial kitchen environment.
- Previous experience at Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef or similar supervisory level.
- A recognised Food Hygiene/Food Safety qualification Level 3.
- Strong knowledge of food hygiene, allergens, HACCP and kitchen Health & Safety.
- Experience managing and supervising kitchen staff.
- Experience with stock control, ordering, portion control and waste management.
- An understanding of food costing and gross profit margins.
- The ability to work effectively and remain organised under pressure.
- Strong leadership and communication skills.
- The flexibility to work evenings, weekends, bank holidays and peak holiday periods.
Salary & Bonus Potential
We offer a competitive salary based on experience and qualifications, together with the potential to earn performance-related bonuses.
Bonus opportunities may be linked to areas such as kitchen performance, food GP, waste reduction, customer satisfaction, food hygiene standards and the overall performance of the department.
What We Expect
The Head Chef plays a key role within the business and will be expected to take ownership of the kitchen. You will be responsible for ensuring the kitchen is organised, compliant and ready for service while creating a positive and professional working environment for the team.
We are looking for someone who understands that a successful kitchen is about more than producing great food. Strong stock control, sensible purchasing, reduced wastage, effective staff management and consistently high standards are all essential parts of this role.
You will work closely with the management team to develop The Hide's food offering, maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and ensure the kitchen operates efficiently and profitably.
Pay: £36,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
