Chef

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10%

Free entry to NT places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease

Employee discounts

Holiday allowance 32 days

Job summary

The National Trust is seeking a talented Chef to join our two food properties in the Midlands area. You’ll work across Blists Hill and The Furnace Kitchen, delivering high-quality dishes while guiding a busy kitchen team. 37.5 hours per week with day shifts and occasional evenings.

You’ll cook across café, bakery, and pizza concepts, follow our National Trust Cookbook, and uphold food safety and hygiene standards to ensure excellent visitor experiences.

Qualifications

• Experienced professional chef or cook with a passion for quality food.
• Capable of preparing café, bakery, and pizza outputs.
• Able to batch-cook and maintain consistency across outlets.
• Knowledge of food safety and health and safety compliance.
• Adaptable, organised, and collaborative across locations.
• Excellent communication and teamwork for visitor-focused service.

Responsibilities

• Work across two NT outlets: Blists Hill and The Furnace Kitchen.
• Support the Kitchen Manager and maintain high food quality and presentation.
• Prepare a range of dishes from brunch to bakery and pizza.
• Ensure food hygiene, safety, and COSHH compliance.
• Contribute to a positive team culture and guest experience.

Skills

Chef experience

Passion for quality

Can-do attitude

Food safety knowledge

Adaptable across locations

Strong team player

Job description

Are you looking to step up your career in food and beverage? The National Trust is renowned for its food and hospitality. We run 185 cafes, tea-rooms, and restaurants all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we're looking for a Chef to join us.

Because we are in a rural area, please think about how you’d be able to get here for work, before applying for the job.

Benefits: We want to help you look after the things that matter to you, such as saving for your future, getting a discount on your weekly shop, or encouraging you to find a work-life balance. Please read our package, below, to see what benefits we offer you.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, mostly day shifts with the occasional planned evening events

Working alongside our current Chef, you’ll report to our Kitchen Manager and support operations across our two commercial food properties:

• Blists Hill Victorian Town
• The Furnace Kitchen, Coalbrookdale

Blists Hill offers a diverse food operation, including two cafés, a Victorian Bakery, a Victorian chip shop and a pub. You’ll need to be versatile, working across all outlets and supporting the wider kitchen team to ensure consistently high food quality, presentation and standards.

The Furnace Kitchen is an exciting and unique venture for the National Trust. As we continue to develop and grow the kitchen operation, our core food offer focuses on high-quality brunch dishes and a distinctive pizza menu. We are also working closely with the Central Food & Beverage Propositions Team to create innovative food experiences unique to The Furnace Kitchen, making this a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to help shape and influence a developing food concept.

Your main focus will be the kitchen, a busy and creative hub. You’ll be working within the framework of the National Trust Cookbook and the food you create will be enjoyed directly by visitors across both properties.

You’ll help to build a great place to work by supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge and contributing to a positive team culture. Together, you’ll be focused on delivering excellent food and outstanding visitor experiences.

By maintaining high standards of food hygiene, food safety and COSHH procedures, you’ll help minimise risks to visitors, staff and contractors.

We’ll provide a tailored induction, training in allergens and food safety, and any mentoring needed to help you succeed in the role. You’ll also have opportunities to undertake further professional training and development.

Who we're looking for

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

• an experienced professional chef or cook with a passion for quality food and a positive, can-do attitude
• confident preparing a variety of food styles, from café and casual dining menus to bakery and pizza production
• comfortable following recipes, batch-cooking and maintaining consistency across multiple food outlets
• knowledgeable about food safety, health and safety compliance, and kitchen best practice
• adaptable, organised and able to work effectively across different locations and teams
• a strong team player with excellent communication skills and a commitment to delivering great visitor experiences.

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Blists Hill, Legges Way, Telford, TF7 5UD

Documents

Chef - B.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 1st November 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.