Development Chef

2 Sisters Food Group; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

2 Sisters Food Group, a leading UK food manufacturer, is seeking a Development Chef in Carlisle to support NPD and EPD teams and drive continuous product improvements. You will work on enhancing existing recipes, reducing salt and costs while ensuring taste and quality.

The role suits someone with a passion for food and keen eye for detail, who can collaborate with customers and internal teams to refine products and run successful product trials.

Qualifications

• Experience in chef roles with product development or food manufacturing is a plus.
• Passion for food, flavour and understanding what makes a successful product.
• Ability to adjust recipes while maintaining taste and quality.

Responsibilities

• Product Development: Support the NPD and EPD teams with the preparation, recreation and modification of product samples.
• Existing Product Improvement: Review and amend recipes, identify opportunities to improve products, reduce costs and optimise ingredients.
• Recipe Development: Make adjustments to recipes to reduce salt or costs while keeping taste and quality.
• Cooking and Taste Testing: Prepare, heat and taste-test samples assessing flavour, appearance, texture and quality.
• Quality Control: Ensure samples meet standards and changes maintain product integrity.
• Customer Collaboration: Work with customers and internal teams to develop products and gather feedback.
• Product Trials: Support trials, test recipes and amendments to ensure performance.
• Team Support: Assist with day-to-day development activities and workload management.

Skills

Food development

Product knowledge

Taste testing

Quality awareness

Education

Food science degree

Job description

Location: Carlisle

Working Hours: 08:30-17:00, Monday-Friday

About Us

Join 2 Sisters Food Group, one of the UK’s largest food manufacturers, with an annual turnover exceeding £3 billion and approximately 13,000 employees across multiple sites. We have a strong presence in poultry, chilled, and bakery food categories. We are committed to delivering high-quality products to the British public and our retail and food service customers, including major retailers like Aldi, Asda, Co-op, KFC, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrison's, Salisbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose.

The Role

We are looking for a passionate and hands-on Development Chef to join our team, supporting our existing product range and helping drive continuous improvement across our development processes.

Working closely with our New Product Development (NPD) and Existing Product Development (EPD) teams, you will play an important role in maintaining and improving our current portfolio.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a passion for food, an eye for detail and a practical approach to improving products, whether that means reducing salt, finding cost efficiencies or making adjustments to existing recipes without compromising on taste or quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Development: Support the NPD and EPD teams with the preparation, recreation and modification of product samples.
• Existing Product Improvement: Review and amend recipes across our existing portfolio, identifying opportunities to improve products, reduce costs and optimise ingredients.
• Recipe Development: Make adjustments to recipes, including reducing salt content and identifying more cost-effective alternatives while maintaining product quality and taste.
• Cooking and Taste Testing: Prepare, heat and taste-test samples, assessing their flavour, appearance, texture and overall quality.
• Quality Control: Ensure samples meet the required standards and that any changes maintain the integrity and consistency of the finished product.
• Customer Collaboration: Work alongside customers and internal teams to develop products, gather feedback and make refinements in line with customer expectations.
• Product Trials: Support product trials, testing recipes and amendments to ensure they perform as expected before changes are implemented.
• Team Support: Take responsibility for day-to-day development activities, helping the wider team manage workloads and maintain progress across multiple projects.

About You

• Open to experience in all kinds of chef, with product development or food manufacturing environment being a nice to have.
• A passion for food, flavour and understanding what makes a successful product.
• An understanding of recipes, ingredients and how changes can affect taste, texture and quality.
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple samples and tasks in a busy environment.
• A proactive attitude, with a willingness to learn, support colleagues and take ownership of your workload.