Baker/Pastry Chef

Houston & Hawkes; Newbury; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40 hours per week

Birthday off every year

Free meals on duty

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Career progression

Job summary

Houston & Hawkes is recruiting a Baker / Pastry Chef to craft an exceptional in-house bakery and pastry offer inside a large, high-profile head office environment. You will produce breads, pastries, cakes and seasonal creations that form a key part of the daily food experience for a busy professional community.

You will bring genuine craft across bakery and pastry, with strong bread-making skills, production planning and a passion for seasonal, visually appealing offerings.

Qualifications

• Strong experience as a Baker or Pastry Chef, or a role spanning bakery and pastry.
• Excellent bread-making skills with understanding of doughs, fermentation and baking techniques.
• Capable of producing pastries, cakes and sweet bakery products.
• Solid technical foundations and a passion for high quality and consistency.
• Creativity with contemporary presentation and seasonal ideas.

Responsibilities

• Produce a high-quality daily selection of breads, rolls and bakery items.
• Create morning pastries, cakes, cookies, traybakes and sweet treats.
• Work with doughs, fermentation, proving, shaping and baking.
• Develop seasonal specials and refresh the bakery offer.
• Plan production around service levels, events and business needs.

Skills

Bread making

Pastry

Dough handling

Fermentation

Baking techniques

Seasonal ingredients

Production planning

Food safety

Presentation

Job description

BAKER / PASTRY CHEF

Houston & Hawkes | Newbury | 40 hours per week | Monday to Friday

A standout opportunity for a talented Baker / Pastry Chef to create an exceptional in-house bakery and pastry offer within a large, high-profile head office environment.

Houston & Hawkes is looking for a skilled and creative Baker / Pastry Chef who takes real pride in producing everything fresh, beautifully finished and full of flavour. This is a role with visibility and impact - the breads, pastries, cakes and seasonal creations you produce will form an important part of the daily food experience for a busy professional community.

We are looking for someone who brings genuine craft to the role. You will be confident across both bakery and pastry, highly organised with production and excited by the opportunity to develop a fresh, modern offer that changes with the seasons and gives customers a reason to come back each day.

THE ROLE

• Produce a high-quality daily selection of fresh breads, rolls and bakery items
• Create morning pastries, cakes, cookies, traybakes and beautifully finished sweet treats
• Work confidently with doughs, fermentation, proving, shaping and baking
• Produce a varied range of pastry using strong classical foundations and modern techniques
• Develop seasonal specials and bring fresh ideas to the bakery and pastry offer
• Plan production carefully around daily service levels, events and business requirements
• Maintain exceptional consistency across flavour, texture, finish and presentation
• Create bespoke bakery and pastry items for hospitality and events when required
• Work closely with the wider culinary team to ensure the bakery and pastry offer complements the overall food experience
• Manage ingredients, ordering, stock rotation, allergens and wastage efficiently
• Maintain impeccable food safety, hygiene and kitchen standards

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Strong experience as a Baker, Pastry Chef or in a position combining both bakery and pastry

Excellent bread-making skills and a strong understanding of doughs, fermentation and baking techniques

Confidence producing a broad range of pastries, cakes and sweet bakery products

Strong technical foundations with a genuine passion for quality and consistency

Creativity and an eye for contemporary presentation

Excellent organisation and the ability to plan production ahead

The confidence to take ownership of your section and manage your workload independently

A passion for seasonal ingredients and developing new ideas

High personal standards and real pride in the products you create

A positive, collaborative approach and enthusiasm for being part of an ambitious culinary team

WHY JOIN HOUSTON & HAWKES?

• Monday to Friday working pattern
• 40 hours per week
• Birthday off every year
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Free meals on duty
• Contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• CODE Hospitality membership
• Exclusive masterclasses with award-winning chef Sally Abé
• Foodie Socials bringing our teams together to explore new food, techniques and culinary ideas
• Ongoing learning, development and genuine career progression
• Summer Awards Party celebrating our people and achievements
• An unforgettable Christmas Party at one of London's outstanding venues

ABOUT HOUSTON & HAWKES

Houston & Hawkes is an award-winning independent caterer with a reputation for creating exceptional food and hospitality experiences in some of the UK's most impressive workplaces.

We're a Certified B Corp, recipient of the King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2026 and proud to be ranked No. 14 in The Caterer's Best Places to Work in Hospitality. We believe talented chefs do their best work when they are trusted, supported and given the opportunity to bring their own ideas and creativity to the food.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Baker / Pastry Chef who wants their work to be seen, enjoyed and appreciated every day - with the freedom to create an offer that feels fresh, distinctive and genuinely special.

Compensation: To be discussed