Head Chef – The Plough Inn, Stratton
About Us
The Plough Inn is a busy, quality-led village pub with a reputation for serving fresh, seasonal food in a welcoming environment. We pride ourselves on cooking from scratch, using quality ingredients, delivering excellent service, and creating a great place to work.
We are looking for an experienced, passionate, and driven Head Chef to lead our kitchen team and continue developing our food offering.
The Role
As Head Chef, you will take full responsibility for the day-to-day running of the kitchen. You will lead by example, maintain exceptional food standards, manage costs effectively, and inspire your team to deliver consistently outstanding food.
This is a hands-on leadership role suited to someone who enjoys working in a fast-paced kitchen while developing both people and menus.
Key Responsibilities
● Lead and manage the kitchen team on a daily basis.
● Ensure every dish leaving the kitchen meets our quality and presentation standards.
● Create and develop seasonal menus and specials.
● Manage food GP and labour costs to agreed targets.
● Control stock, ordering, deliveries, and supplier relationships.
● Minimise food waste and maximise kitchen efficiency.
● Maintain excellent food hygiene standards and ensure full compliance with HACCP and Environmental Health requirements.
● Recruit, train, mentor, and develop kitchen staff.
● Produce staff rotas and manage labour effectively.
● Maintain equipment and report maintenance issues promptly.
● Work closely with the front-of-house management team to ensure excellent guest experiences.
● Ensure the kitchen remains clean, organised, and safe at all times.
What We’re Looking For
● Previous experience as a Head Chef or experienced Sous Chef ready for the next step.
● Strong leadership and communication skills.
● Passion for fresh, seasonal cooking.
● Excellent organisational and time-management abilities.
● Strong understanding of food costing, GP, and stock control.
● Calm under pressure with the ability to lead busy services.
● High standards of cleanliness and attention to detail.
● A positive attitude and a desire to develop the team around you.
Essential Requirements
● Level 3 Food Safety qualification (or willingness to obtain).
● Full understanding of HACCP procedures.
● Proven experience managing kitchen teams.
● Experience working in a busy fresh-food environment.
What We Offer
● Competitive salary (dependent on experience).
● Performance-related bonus opportunities.
● Staff meals on shift.
● Company pension.
● Paid holiday.
● Opportunities for training and career development.
● Creative input into menus and seasonal dishes.
● A supportive management team and positive working environment.
If you’re an ambitious chef who takes pride in producing exceptional food while leading a motivated team, we’d love to hear from you.
Pay: £35,000.00-£39,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
