Chef

National health service; City Of London; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a dedicated Chef to join our hospital kitchen and staff restaurant at Wexham Park Hospital. You will prepare and cook high-quality meals from fresh ingredients, following recipes and menus for patients and staff, while ensuring correct portioning and presentation.

You will work under the Head Chef to accommodate dietary requirements, maintain hygiene, and support event catering as needed, contributing to patient care and staff wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Experience as a chef in a high-quality catering setting.
• Strong organisational skills for a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to excellent food quality, safety and presentation.
• Knowledge of HACCP and kitchen hygiene.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook dishes from fresh ingredients following recipes and menus.
• Ensure dishes are cooked correctly, well-presented and portion controlled.
• Support function and event catering as needed.
• Work with Head Chef to meet dietary requirements.
• Maintain kitchen hygiene and safety standards.
• Manage stock and rotation.

Skills

Organisational skills

Food safety

Food quality

Communication

English proficiency

Education

City & Guilds 706/1 and 2 or NVQ equivalent Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene

Job description

Job summaryFrimley Health Foundation Trust is seeking a dedicated and creative Chef to join our busy hospital kitchen and staff restaurant at Wexham Park Hospital.This is an exciting opportunity for someone who takes pride in producing high-quality, traditional, homemade meals using fresh and, wherever possible, locally sourced ingredients. Working within a large production kitchen, you will play a key role in delivering nutritious and appealing meals that make a real difference to patient care and staff wellbeing.We are seeking a motivated chef with proven experience in a quality-driven catering environment. You will bring enthusiasm, attention to detail, and a genuine passion for food. The ability to perform well under pressure and manage a varied workload is essential, as is a commitment to consistently delivering high standards.Previous recent applicants need not apply.Please note that this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the post.

Main duties of the job

In this varied and rewarding role, you will:

• Prepare and cook dishes from fresh ingredients, following Trust recipes and menu plans for patients and staff.
• Ensure every dish is cooked correctly, well-presented, and produced in line with forecasted requirements and portion control standards.
• Support function and event catering as needed.
• Work closely with the Head Chef to accommodate special dietary requirements.
• Maintain excellent communication with patients, visitors, colleagues, suppliers, and wider Trust teams.
• Contribute to menu planning and development.
• Carry out audits and surveys relevant to the role.
• Uphold exemplary kitchen hygiene, food safety and cleaning standards in line with current legislation.
• Record food temperatures and follow all departmental procedures.
• Manage stock effectively, ensuring correct rotation, storage, and security of goods.
• Promote efficient use of Trust resources and ensure financial procedures are followed.

About us

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available. Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too. We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.

Pay schemeAgenda for changeBandBand 3Salary 27,106 to 28,850 a year

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilitiesPlease see Job Description and Person Specification for further information

What Youll BringExperience working as a chef in a high-quality catering setting.
Strong organisational skills and the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
A commitment to excellent food quality, safety and presentation.
Confidence in using your judgement to resolve day-to-day operational issues.
A positive, courteous and professional approach.
Person Specification, EssentialCity & Guilds 706/1 and 2 or NVQ equivalentFoundation Certificate in Food HygieneDesirableIntermediate Certificate in Food HygieneKnowledge of HACCP, EssentialCareer structure that shows a logical progression to a chef position in a similar size and/or NHS catering operationExperience of working in a service led and customer focused environmentDesirableExperience with both the commercial food service sector and/or an NHS catering operation, EssentialGood knowledge of food safety / kitchen hygieneGood command of written and spoken EnglishAbility to work efficiently and to timeOrganised and methodicalDesirableGood numeracyGood communicator, EssentialGood knowledge of food safety / kitchen hygieneGood command of written and spoken EnglishAbility to work efficiently and to timeOrganised and methodicalDesirableGood numeracyGood communicator

Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer detailsEmployer nameFrimley Health NHS Foundation TrustAddressWexham Park HospitalWexham StreetSlough, BerkshireSL2 4HLUnited KingdomEmployer's websiteEmployer detailsEmployer nameFrimley Health NHS Foundation TrustAddressWexham Park HospitalWexham StreetSlough, BerkshireSL2 4HLUnited KingdomEmployer's website