Head Chef

Young's Pubs; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free meals

20% discount in Young's Pubs

30% discount on overnight stays in Pub

Share save Scheme

Enhanced Company Pension Scheme

28 Days Holiday per year

Apprenticeship Scheme

Culinary masterclasses

Job summary

Young's Pubs in Cambridge is seeking a Head Chef to lead a busy kitchen with full autonomy to write menus that showcase seasonal ingredients. You will develop, cost and produce fresh dishes aligned with the business vision while maintaining high standards across all pub formats.

You will inspire a team, manage rotas, drive GP and labour controls, and contribute to growth by crafting daily specials and engaging with suppliers and front-of-house teams.

Qualifications

• Experience in leading kitchen teams and creating menus that reflect seasonal produce.
• Strong understanding of food safety and cost controls.
• Ability to design daily specials and maintain quality across high-volume service.

Responsibilities

• Inspire and lead the kitchen team to deliver high-quality menus.
• Cost and produce fresh seasonal dishes for multiple revenue streams.
• Ensure health and safety compliance and manage kitchen rota and training.
• Drive sales growth through menu creativity and front-of-house collaboration.

Skills

Menu development

Food safety

Food preparation

Job description

About us:

The Mill is one of Cambridge’s iconic pubs, located just down by a beautiful river, we are not the largest of pubs but, boy do we pack character. Idyllically located on the grassy banks of the River Cam overlooking Laundress Green, the 19th Century Mill is one of Cambridge’s most iconic pubs and renowned for its wide choice of well-kept real ales. The winner of numerous CAMRA Awards, the Mill is a really special place to visit whatever the season.

About us:

The Mill is one of Cambridge’s iconic pubs, located just down by a beautiful river, we are not the largest of pubs but, boy do we pack character. Idyllically located on the grassy banks of the River Cam overlooking Laundress Green, the 19th Century Mill is one of Cambridge’s most iconic pubs and renowned for its wide choice of well-kept real ales. The winner of numerous CAMRA Awards, the Mill is a really special place to visit whatever the season.

Being a Head Chef at Young's:

We believe every pub should be different. This means that you'll be writing your own recipes that match the food vision of your business using fresh seasonal ingredients. The food vision could be all about showcasing local produce, country pub classics, seafood, small plates and sharers, dry-aged meat - each pub is different and its up to you as head chef to put your own creative stamp on that vision. We work with fresh, seasonal produce, so the menu should constantly evolve to showcase these fantastic ingredients when they are at their best. Premium fresh food crafted by skilled chefs in Premium Pubs .

What we offer our Head Chefs:

• Head Chefs get to have full autonomy to create your own menus and specials
• Access to our Apprenticeship Scheme and Development Programmes
• Access to regular culinary masterclasses covering topics such as Game, Butchery and Shellfish
• Access to inspirational food trips with our top quality suppliers
• Regular Chef Forums with other Head Chefs to inspire and develop
• Free meals
• 20% discount in all Young's Pubs and 30% discount on overnight stays in our Pubs with Rooms
• Share save Scheme
• Enhanced Company Pension Scheme
• 28 Days Holiday per year

What we look for in a Head Chef:

This role requires someone that can inspire a team, to bring out the potential and lead by example whilst being able to develop, cost and produce fresh seasonal menus for the variety of revenue streams within the business.

• Have experience championing excellent service through quality food either as a Head Chef or in the position of Sous Chef
• Demonstrate a passion for leading and developing a team
• Be an active hands‑on team player with excellent communication skills
• Be responsible and able to manage the kitchen staff rota, training and all health and safety effectively at all times
• Be able to demonstrate your creativity and ability to design and deliver new dishes for our menus and daily specials
• Demonstrate great planning and organisational skills, necessary to maintain effective controls with regard to both GP and labour
• Have a pro‑active approach to driving sales and delivering growth, through engagement with both kitchen and front of house teams

Skills

• Menu Development
• Food Safety
• Food Preparation