Head Chef

National Trust; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a renowned conservation charity as a Head Chef, where your culinary skills will shine in a vibrant kitchen environment. This role offers the chance to create seasonal menus using local produce while leading a dedicated team. You'll be empowered to innovate and increase income through effective stock management and waste reduction. Enjoy a supportive workplace culture that values diversity and offers extensive benefits, including a substantial pension scheme and flexible working options. If you're passionate about food and hospitality, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Benefits

Substantial pension scheme

Free entry to National Trust places

Rental deposit loan scheme

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Gym memberships discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Free parking at most Trust places

Qualifications

• Experienced professional chef with a passion for food.
• Confident in following recipes and batch cooking.

Responsibilities

• Develop delicious menus using local produce and seasonal ingredients.
• Support and manage the kitchen team to provide excellent service.

Skills

Professional Chef Experience

Recipe Following

Health and Safety Compliance

Team Leadership

Budget Management

Job description

Are you looking to develop your career in food and drink? Did you know that the National Trust, Europe's largest conservation charity, is also renowned for its food and hospitality? We run 185 cafes all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we'd love you to join us.

We’re looking for a Head Chef to join us. Because we are in a rural area, please consider how you’d be able to get here for work before applying.

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.

Hours:37.5 per week

Salary:£34,242 per annum

Duration:Permanent

Interview date:23rd and 26th May 2025

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

As Head Chef, your main focus will be within the kitchen. But you’ll also work closely with the Food and Beverage management team to develop delicious menus using local produce, adapting to the seasons and working within the framework of our ‘National Trust Cookbook’.

You’ll look for new ways to increase income and meet financial targets through managing stock and waste. You’ll be preparing food from scratch using fresh seasonal ingredients. You’ll be confident in baking cakes, brownies and sausage rolls as well as making soups, stews and more.

You’ll support and manage the team, guided by the Trust’s values, empowering them to give the best possible service to visitors and helping to build a great place to work.

We’ll give you an induction that fits the job, training in allergens and food safety, plus any mentoring needed to help you in your role. You can sign up for further professional training and development if you wish.

Please also read the full role profile, attached to this advert.

Who we're looking for

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

• experienced as a professional chef, with a passion for food and a friendly and positive attitude
• confident about following recipes and batch-cooking, and willing to learn
• aware of health and safety compliance
• happy leading a team, and able to set personal objectives and give feedback to help improve performance
• aware of budgets such as increasing income and controlling costs

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
• 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.