Product Development Chef
Oakhouse Foods (Part of Pilgrim’s Europe)
Chippenham ¦ Monday–Friday (Office-based)
If you're a chef who loves creating dishes, experimenting with flavours, and perfecting recipes—but want to step away from the long hours of a kitchen—this could be your ideal next move.
We’re looking for a Product Development Chef to help shape and grow our Oakhouse Foods range, creating high-quality, great-tasting meals for customers across the UK, including the care sector and NHS.
This is a unique opportunity to turn your culinary skills into something bigger—developing dishes at scale that make a genuine difference to people’s lives.
-
Creating and developing exciting, high-quality recipes
-
Turning your culinary ideas into products ready for large-scale production
-
Leading recipe development from kitchen trials through to factory launch
-
Ensuring dishes deliver on flavour, texture, consistency, and nutrition
-
Adapting recipes for frozen and ready meal formats
-
Taking part in tastings and refining recipes based on feedback
-
Bringing seasonal inspiration and food trends into the range
-
Working closely with technical, commercial, and production teams
-
Supporting suppliers and assist with factory trials to ensure dishes scale successfully
-
Background as a chef (Sous Chef, Head Chef, or similar)
-
Genuine passion for food, flavour, and recipe creation
-
Interest in moving into food development or innovation
-
Strong understanding of ingredients and cooking techniques
-
A creative mindset with a practical approach to problem-solving
-
Ability to adapt recipes for consistency and larger-scale production
-
Confident communicator who enjoys working as part of a team
-
Experience in product development, nutrition, or frozen food is a bonus—but not essential.
-
Monday to Friday working—no late nights or weekend shifts
-
Stay creative, but in a more structured environment
-
See your dishes produced and enjoyed at scale
-
Work on meaningful products used in homes and healthcare settings
-
Build a long-term career in food innovation and development
-
Be part of a business where food quality truly matters
-
Help create products that support people’s health and wellbeing
-
Join a collaborative and supportive team
-
Opportunities to grow and develop your career
-
A culture based on Ownership, Simplicity, and Determination
If you’re a chef with a passion for creating great food and want to take your skills beyond the kitchen—we’d love to hear from you.
Apply now and start your journey as a Product Development Chef with Oakhouse Foods.
Pilgrim’s Europe produces some of the best-known and most iconic brands in the UK and Ireland, including Fridge Raiders, Rollover, Denny, Richmond, Oakhouse and Moy Park, alongside a diverse range of industry leading own-label products in categories including fresh pork, lamb and chicken, working with all the major retailers and food service outlets.
Our portfolio extends to authentic chilled and frozen ready meals, snacking ranges, added value and food service products.
Across Pilgrim’s Europe we combine 20,000 of the best people in the industry, united by a shared set of core values and a passion for producing the highest quality, most delicious and innovative food, which is enjoyed by millions of people in the UK, Ireland and Europe every day. Our Pilgrim’s Europe team are based in our Pilgrim’s UK, Moy Park, Pilgrim’s Food Masters and Pilgrim’s Shared Services businesses.
