Chef

John Lewis plc; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Chef whites provided and laundered

Free meals on duty

Free onsite parking

Job summary

John Lewis plc operates across Magna Park Distribution Centre in Milton Keynes, recruiting a Chef to lead a kitchen brigade and ensure a high-quality dining experience for Partners and customers. The role covers 3 kitchens with early and late shifts, including weekends, and offers a permanent contract with shift premiums after 6pm.

You will develop menus, standardise recipes, and uphold health, safety and cost controls while maintaining outstanding culinary standards.

Qualifications

• Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate.
• Level 2 City & Guilds Food Production Certificate (706 1 & 2) or equivalent.
• Operational experience in PDRs, canteens or hospitality.
• Experience of working within a catering environment.

Responsibilities

• Advanced High-Volume Culinary Skills: produce a wide range of dishes to a high standard for large numbers.
• Menu Development & Innovation: create diverse, cost-effective menus and adapt to trends.
• Recipe Standardisation & Consistency: standardise recipes to ensure quality, taste and portions.
• Special Dietary Accommodation: cater to vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and common allergies.

Skills

Catering experience

PDRs / canteens hospitality

Intermediate Food Hygiene

Food production certificate

Education

Level 2 City & Guilds Food Production Certificate (706 1 & 2)

Advanced Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 3) - desirable

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Chef, you'll be working as part of our friendly kitchen brigade to ensure the efficient day-to-day running of our kitchens and assist in providing a consistently high quality dining experience for either our customers or Partners, depending on where you are based. You'll lead and inspire the kitchen team to create exceptional culinary experiences that leave a lasting impression, using your creativity and flair to develop and execute a food offer while also ensuring that it meets the highest standards of quality, innovation, cost control, health and safety. In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 18:00 - 22:00 will attract an Evening Premium at a rate of £3.25 per hour, and any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract a Night Premium at a rate of £4.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements. Salary: £28,400 - £38,600 per annum (dependent on experience). Shift Premium will be included from 6pm. Contract Type: This role is a permanent contract. Location: This role is based at Magna Park Distribution Centre and the role covers 3 different kitchens across the campus. Working pattern: This role will be on a shift basis of either 7am - 3pm (early) or 11:30am - 7:30pm (lates), 37.5 hours a week. You will be required to work 2 weekends in 4.

Key responsibilities

• Advanced High-Volume Culinary Skills: Proven ability in producing a wide range of dishes to a high standard for large numbers. This includes proficiency in various cooking methods and cuisines suitable for diverse palates.
• Menu Development & Innovation: Creating diverse, appealing, and cost-effective menus. Ability to be creative and adapt to current food trends.
• Recipe Standardisation & Consistency: Developing and implementing standardized recipes to ensure consistent quality, taste, and portion control across large batches.
• Special Dietary Accommodation (General): Ability to cater to common dietary requirements such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and common allergies. While perhaps not as in-depth as clinical therapeutic diets, a solid understanding is crucial.

Benefits for working with the Partnership

• Chefs whites are provided by the Partnership and laundered by an external supplier
• Free meals whist on duty
• Free onsite Parking

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate.
• Level 2 Recognised Food Production Certificate. City & Guilds 706 1 & 2 or equivalent
• Operational experience in PDRs, canteens or hospitality
• Experience of working within a catering environment.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Experience of working within a customer service based environment.
• Working towards Advanced Food Hygiene Certificate - Level 3

Additional Details

Closing Date: October 6, 2026

Pay: £28,400.00 - £38,600.00

Annual Contract Type: Permanent

Hours of Work: Hours fall between 7-19:00 with a mix of early and lates and 2 weekend in 4

Job Level: Partnership Level 9

Where You'll Be Working: Magna Park Distribution Centre (John Lewis & Partners), Fen Street, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK17 8EW

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us. We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose. As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it. Important points to note: It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles. We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants. We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. At the John Lewis Partnership we’re not just employees; we’re co-owners, and that’s why we’re called Partners. Being a Partner means not only do we all collectively share the responsibilities of being the UK’s largest employee-owned business, but we also share in its rewards and successes. It’s this ownership model that makes the Partnership a very unique place to work.