Job Ref: CON1259
Branch: The Coniston Hotel Country Estate Spa
Location: The Coniston Hotel Country Estate Spa, Skipton
Salary/Benefits: Competitive Salary
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Hours per week: 50 hours
Posted date: 18/05/2026
Closing date: 01/07/2026
This role offers a genuinely unique chance for an ambitious Chef to help shape the next chapter of a truly rural estate business. Set in 1,000-acres of the Yorkshire Dales, at Coniston you’ll have a platform to bring our produce to the fore. Bringing estate-reared meats, game, vegetables, herbs and produce into a dining offering that becomes a reason to visit in itself.
We are looking for an experienced Head Chef to work alongside a team of Chefs, who has experience in planning and costing menus, controlling a busy and well-frequented restaurant, complying with health and hygiene legislation, passionate about all things food, and experience supervising a large team of chefs.
The Head Chef will enjoy nurturing a team; finding creative ways to motivate and develop others and encouraging every member of the brigade to be their best. In rural areas like ours, good Chefs can be hard to find, so you will need to play your part in helping to attract and retain their skills.
You will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the kitchen, ensuring that the required documentation to make the kitchen run efficiently is in place. You will be responsible for the training and development of the junior members of the team.
This role is suitable for someone with an extensive hotel and restaurant background looking to take control of the whole kitchen operation with the ability to cope with volume events and control GP figures.
Creation of seasonal estate produce focused menus, Full responsibility with support from management to implement new menus across the Hotel and Spa, Defining the concept for The View Restaurant. Working with our marketing team to deliver great concept fits for our social media platforms as well as ensuring costs are all in line. Designing exciting bespoke menus for events and activations as well as seasonal menu rollouts.
Responsible for all dining outlets as follows:
The View Restaurant seating up to 90 indoors and a further 90 on our terrace. This restaurant looks to offer modern, seasonal dining with a focus on quality ingredients, clean execution and a strong connection to provenance.
Over the coming months, the restaurant will undergo a full refurbishment, rebrand and repositioning. This role will play a key part in shaping that journey, with the Exec Head Chef leading the development of the food concept and helping define the future direction of the restaurant.
Macleod's Bar Lounge runs across 50 seats. a classic pub dining experience, centred around well-executed, comforting dishes and familiar favourites. The focus is on consistency, quality and generous, satisfying food that guests can rely on, delivered in a relaxed and welcoming setting.
Blossom Kitchen. Blossom is the hotel’s spa restaurant, offering a lighter, more balanced style of dining designed to complement the wellness experience. The focus is on simple, well-executed dishes that are fresh, nourishing and approachable.
The menu is currently under review and development, transitioning from a pan-Asian concept to a more traditional, modern English spa offering. The Exec Head Chef will play the key role in shaping this direction and establishing a clear identity for the restaurant.
Coniston also caters for a diverse range of functions, wedding and events across the hotel and wider estate. Including weddings and events for up to 300 people and smaller more intimate private dining experiences around the estate.
About You
- Experience as an Executive Head Chef or senior Head Chef in a premium or multi-outlet environment.
- Strong leadership with the ability to drive standards and performance.
- Commercially focused with solid cost and labour control experience.
- Excellent knowledge of food safety and compliance.
- Passion for developing and leading teams.
- Well organised, adaptable and able to perform under pressure.
- Clear communicator and strong team player.
- Flexible and committed to delivering high standards.
If this sounds like you we would love to hear from you.
The Coniston Hotel Country Estate Spa is an award-winning destination hotel near Skipton on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
We are a family run, privately owned organisation founded in 1969 by the Bannister family, who are actively involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Over the past 50 years our 1,400 acre estate has gone from strength-to-strength and now boasts 70 bedrooms, two luxury self-catering cottages, The View Restaurant, Macleod’s Bar and a Five-Bubble rated spa, as well as an array of on-site activities such as clay pigeon shooting, 4x4 off-roading, archery, fishing, e-biking and walking.
The vast range of activities, combined with flexible function spaces, makes The Coniston a popular choice with corporates, attracting off-site meetings and team building sessions from clients across the UK and abroad.
We are also recognised as a leading wedding and private events venue in our region, with a tailor-made offering from an intimate barn ceremony to a magnificent marquee reception, as well as a range of picture perfect outside locations.
We prides ourselves on delivering exceptional customer service and take great pleasure in building relationships with guests. Everyone that walks through our doors instantly becomes part of our story; and we feel privileged to be part of theirs too.
