Chef

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust; Frimley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is seeking a dedicated Chef for their hospital kitchen in Frimley. The successful candidate will prepare high-quality, homemade meals, ensuring excellent kitchen hygiene and participating in menu planning. Ideal applicants will have previous catering experience and relevant food safety qualifications. This role offers an annual salary of £26,240 to £27,928.

Qualifications

• Experience working as a chef in a high-quality catering setting.
• Career structure that shows a logical progression to a chef position in a similar size and/or NHS catering operation.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook dishes from fresh ingredients.
• Support function and event catering as needed.
• Maintain excellent communication with patients and staff.
• Uphold exemplary kitchen hygiene and food safety.
• Manage stock effectively.

Skills

Strong organisational skills

Experience in a high-quality catering setting

Good knowledge of food safety/kitchen hygiene

Good command of written and spoken English

Ability to work efficiently and to time

Education

City & Guilds 706/1 and 2 or NVQ equivalent

Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene

Intermediate Certificate in Food Hygiene

Knowledge of HACCP

Job description

Frimley Health Foundation Trust is seeking a dedicated and creative Chef to join our busy hospital kitchen and staff restaurant at Frimley 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.

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 and Assistant 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.

Job description

Please see Job Description and Person Specification for further information

Please note this role does not offer sponsorship

What Youll Bring

• Experience 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

Qualifications

• City & Guilds 706/1 and 2 or NVQ equivalent
• Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene
• Intermediate Certificate in Food Hygiene
• Knowledge of HACCP

Experience

• Career structure that shows a logical progression to a chef position in a similar size and/or NHS catering operation
• Experience of working in a service led and customer focused environment
• Experience with both the commercial food service sector and/or an NHS catering operation

Skills

• Good knowledge of food safety / kitchen hygiene
• Good command of written and spoken English
• Ability to work efficiently and to time
• Organised and methodical
• Good numeracy

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This 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.

£26,240 to £27,928 a yearper annum incl HCAS