Chef

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Gosport; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organization in Gosport is seeking a Chef to produce high-quality meals in an NHS kitchen. The ideal candidate will have experience in large kitchen environments, with knowledge of special diets and allergen awareness. Responsibilities include meal preparation and developing menu items to enhance patient recovery. The role offers a salary range of £27,485 to £30,162 per year, along with occasional weekend enhancements.

Qualifications

• Experience of producing food in large quantities to exacting standards.
• Ability to keep accurate records of food produced.
• Diligently follow set recipes.

Responsibilities

• Produce high-quality cook freeze products.
• Develop the retail side within the department.
• Ensure HACCP principles are adhered to.

Skills

Experience in large kitchen environments

Cooking for special diets

Customer focused approach

Education

City and Guilds 706 -1 and 706 -2 or NVQ equivalent

Food hygiene level 2

Food Allergen awareness level 3

Job description

Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Chef

The closing date is 19 October 2025

We are recruiting for a Chef to join our team.

You will be responsible for producing a high Quality cook freeze product, in this NHS exemplar site kitchen, preparing good quality multi portion meals to be delivered to our other sites in SHFT, to help in our client's recovery.

Your work pattern will be working 5 days over 7 but mainly working Monday to Friday, however on occasions you may have to cover weekend duties, and alternative days off will be given during the week, you will have some limited supervision of junior staff.

We use locally sourced seasonal products whenever possible. You will need to have an in depth knowledge of special diets and allergen awareness to ensure our clients get the meal that is right for them.

Main duties of the job

You will be expected to show flair and imagination to help develop the retail side within the department especially with chef's specials of the day and themed events to help prevent menu fatigue, and in developing menu items within budgetary restraints for inclusion on future seasonal menu's.

You will need to keep accurate records of all food produced to ensure HACCP principles are adhered to.

The post holder is responsible for the delivery of meals on a day to day basis in order to provide an effective, efficient and customer focussed service which meets the changing needs of the Trusts' managers, employees and members of the public.

We are looking for someone that has experience of producing food in large quantities and to exacting standards by diligently following set recipes.

As a team player, you'll be able to prioritise your work in order to meet deadlines and have a customer focused approach. Previous experience of working within a large catering environment is essential.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• City and Guilds 706 -1 and 706 -2 or NVQ equivalent
• Food hygiene level 2
• Food Allergen awareness level 3

Experience

• Cooking in large kitchen environments, Experience of working in a constantly changing environment
• Experience of cooking for special diets, and Previous Hospital, or Rest Home experience

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.

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£27,485 to £30,162 a yearOccasional weekend enhancements when cover is needed