Chef

Hampshire County Council; England; On-site; GBP 13,000 - 15,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government organization in England is seeking a Chef to join their team at Hawthorne Court residential care home. The role involves overseeing daily catering operations, ensuring high-quality meal service, and supervising staff. Ideal candidates will have prior catering experience, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to providing quality food and service to residents. This permanent position offers competitive pay and a supportive working environment.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement

Occupational sick pay

Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme

Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience in catering required.
• Communication skills are essential.
• Must demonstrate compassion for residents.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily catering operations.
• Supervise catering assistants and organize tasks.
• Monitor meal quality and compliance with regulations.

Skills

Previous experience of catering, preferably in a similar setting

Good communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to work calmly under pressure and adapt to changing situations

Strong organisational skills

Compassion and empathy for residents

Job description

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Chef

Job Reference: HCC622672
Salary Range: £25,186 - £26,244 pro‑ra, per annum (actual salary £13,613 - £14,184 per annum)
Work Location: Hawthorne Court, Sarisbury Green
Hours per week: 20
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 18 November 2025

The Role:

Join our friendly and supportive team, as a Chef at Hawthorne Court residential care home for older adults.

What you’ll do:

• Oversee daily catering operations, ensuring high‑quality meal preparation and service
• Supervise catering assistants, organising tasks and ensuring efficient time management
• Monitor meal quality, presentation and adherence to dietary requirements
• Ensure compliance with food hygiene and health and safety regulations
• Plan menus with the Chef Manager, catering to special diets, and organising special events

What we’re looking for:

• Previous experience of catering, preferably in a similar setting
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work calmly under pressure and adapt to changing situations and demands
• Strong organisational skills
• Commitment to providing high quality food and service
• Compassion, empathy and respect for the residents and their unique needs

Take a look at our Candidate Pack for more information about the Chef role, our team and values. The section ‘About you’ explains what specific knowledge, skills and experience we want you to tell us about. Make sure you explain how you meet these requirements and demonstrate our values, in your application.

• Competitive benefits package, including generous annual leave entitlement, occupational sick pay, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme. Find more information here
• Make a difference: Watch this short video to find out more about the important work our Older Adults Residential Teams do.
• A minimum 24 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays.
• No split shifts; working 5 over 7 days with alternate weekends.
• Enhancements paid for weekend and bank holiday work.
• Excellent induction training plus ongoing training and development opportunities.
• Opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of the residents.
• Access to Health Assured's comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme to support your physical and mental wellbeing, including 24/7 telephone support, a suite of online resources, and legal and financial advice.

Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role and therefore it is essential that you already have the right to work in the UK before applying.

Values Based Recruitment:

We recruit for attitudes and values in Adults’ Health and Care. We invite you to evidence how you demonstrate our 5 core values in your application. For more information on our values, please refer to the candidate pack.

This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.