Chef

National Trust; Telford; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Substantial pension

Free entry to National Trust places

Rental deposit loan

Season ticket loan

EV car lease

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Free parking at most Trust places

Job summary

The National Trust seeks an experienced professional chef to join our food and beverage team. You’ll report to the Kitchen Manager and support operations across Blists Hill and The Furnace Kitchen, delivering high-quality food and outstanding visitor experiences.

This permanent role is 37.5 hours per week, mostly day shifts with occasional evening events. You’ll work across multiple outlets, including cafés, a bakery and a pizza operation, upholding food hygiene and COSHH standards.

Qualifications

• Experienced professional chef or cook with a passion for quality food.
• Confident preparing a variety of food styles across outlets.
• Knowledgeable about food safety and kitchen best practices.
• Adaptable, organised and able to work across locations and teams.
• Strong team player with excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Support operations across Blists Hill and The Furnace Kitchen.
• Report to Kitchen Manager and maintain high standards of food quality.
• Prepare diverse menus including café, bakery and pizza production.
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene and COSHH compliance.
• Deliver excellent food and memorable visitor experiences.

Skills

Professional chef

Food safety

Team player

Kitchen operations

Job description

Summary

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

Salary

£27,612

Duration

Permanent

What It's Like To Work Here

To find out more about what it’s like to work in a food and beverage team for the National Trust, click here to watch our video.

What You'll Be Doing

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

• 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)
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• 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.
• Flexible working whenever possible
• Employee assistance programme
• Free parking at most Trust places

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.

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.