Head Chef

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Bushey; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days holiday incl. bank holidays

Volunteer days

Grandparent leave (3 days)?

Enhanced maternity leave (24 weeks)?

Pension & life insurance

Free meals at work

Perkbox discounts

Job summary

Holroyd Howe is recruiting a passionate Head Chef to lead the school's culinary team at St Margarets. You will design exceptional menus, oversee kitchen operations, and deliver outstanding dining experiences to pupils, staff, and visitors.

Joining Holroyd Howe means working with a leading contract caterer for independent schools in the UK. You will manage budgets, recruit and train staff, ensure food safety and allergen controls, and develop fresh, seasonal menus in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Experience as Head Chef in contract catering preferred.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Passion for fresh ingredients and innovative menus.
• Excellent organisational, communication, and financial skills.
• Knowledge of current food trends and allergen controls.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen operations ensuring the highest standards of food quality, safety, and presentation.
• Create innovative and seasonal menus tailored to the school’s requirements.
• Manage kitchen staff recruitment, training, and development.
• Control budgets, stock, and supplier relationships efficiently.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, health & safety, and safeguarding policies.
• Collaborate with the wider catering and school teams to deliver outstanding customer experiences.
• Accountability for following and championing allergen controls.

Skills

Leadership & team management

Food quality & menu development

Organisational & communication skills

Financial management

Allergen control knowledge

Sustainability & trends awareness

Job description

Job Title:Head Chef
Location: St Margarets
Contract Type:Full time or Term Time
Salary:Up to £45,000

Why Join us?

• 28 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• 3 volunteering days to give back to causes you care about
• 3 days grandparent leave for those special family moments
• 24 weeks enhanced maternity leave
• Bespoke training & development opportunities
• Pension & life insurance
• Discounts on high street brands, cinema & holidays via the Perkbox App
• Wellbeing hub & access to employee assistance programme
• Free meals while at work
• Career development through apprenticeships for all experience levels.

About the role:

We are seeking a passionate and experienced Head Chef to lead the culinary team at St Margarets. You will be responsible for creating exceptional menus, managing kitchen operations, and delivering outstanding food experiences to our pupils, staff, and visitors.

You will be joining Holroyd Howe, one of the UK’s leading contract caterers, providing fresh innovative food services solely to independent schools and colleges. We are a team of experienced professionals who tailor our catering service provision specifically to suit children of all ages in order to meet the bespoke requirements of each school.

The safety and wellbeing of the people we serve is at the heart of everything we do. A key element is effective allergen management; achieved through training, communication, and care, we create mealtimes where every pupil has a safe experience. Our mission is simple: to provide our teams with the right skills to succeed in their job and our exceptional teams of seasoned specialists customise our catering services to fit children of all ages and satisfy the unique needs of our clients.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen operations ensuring the highest standards of food quality, safety, and presentation
• Create innovative and seasonal menus tailored to the school’s requirements
• Manage kitchen staff recruitment, training, and development
• Control budgets, stock, and supplier relationships efficiently
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, health & safety, and safeguarding policies
• Collaborate with the wider catering and school teams to deliver outstanding customer experiences
• Accountability for following and championing allergen controls

Qualifications

Candidate Profile

• Ideally, you will have experience as an Head Chef within a contract catering environment, preferably in independent education, or a high-profile business and industry setting.
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Passionate about fresh, quality ingredients and innovative menus
• Excellent organisational, communication, and financial management skills
• Knowledge of current food trends, sustainability, and allergen control

Additional Information

We pride ourselves on:

People first
We’re a company of individuals, united in doing our best for our clients.

Great food, always
Using only the best ingredients, our food is fresh, authentic and tailored to each school, age group, and specific needs and preferences.

Food education
We educate pupils through food, encouraging them to understand and develop their own personal tastes and make informed food choices.

Respect in everything we do
Our respectful codes of conduct inform how we behave towards our clients and customers, suppliers and business partners, and each other.

Fresh thinking
New ideas for food, service and ways of working help us maintain our position as creative leaders in school catering.

In order to be considered for this role you must be able to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK.

Holroyd Howe is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all employees to share this commitment. All roles within Holroyd Howe involve regulated activity. It is a criminal offence for individuals barred from working with children to apply for such roles. An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, including a Barred List check will be required for all successful applicants. Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide information about relevant criminal offences and will be subject to an online search of publicly available information. This search helps identify any issues that may affect suitability to work with children.

This appointment is offered on the return of satisfactory professional references.