Head Chef

Compass Group UK; City Of London; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension scheme

Career Pathways and MyLearning

Digital GP and wider healthcare

Exclusive travel discounts

Food shop discounts

Cinema discounts

Cash rewards

Wellness and fitness classes

Friends and family discounts

Job summary

Compass Group UK&I is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead the catering team at Bute House Preparatory School for Girls. You will craft fresh, nutritious menus and manage all aspects of the school dining operation for pupils and staff.

You will bring strong leadership, food safety knowledge and commercial awareness to a busy, term-time operation with a focus on quality, service and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Experienced Head Chef with a passion for fresh food and innovative menu planning.
• Strong leadership and team development skills in a school catering setting.
• Good understanding of purchasing, budgeting, food costing and hygiene standards.

Responsibilities

• Leading and motivating the catering team to deliver high-quality meals.
• Hands-on involvement in food preparation, cooking and presentation.
• Plan varied seasonal menus using fresh ingredients and monitor costs.
• Oversee production, service, stock, suppliers and waste minimisation.
• Ensure food safety, allergen management and COSHH compliance.

Skills

Head Chef

Leadership

Cooking

Menu planning

Budgeting

Food safety

Job description

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

HEAD CHEF | BUTE HOUSE PREPARATORY SCHOOL | £45,000

40 hours per week | Term time only, 42.6 weeks per year | Monday to Friday

Lodestone House, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is recruiting an experienced and passionate Head Chef to lead the catering team at Bute House Preparatory School for Girls.

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a busy school catering operation, creating exciting, fresh and nutritious food while delivering a high-quality dining experience for pupils and staff. You'll bring creativity, strong leadership and commercial awareness to a role where food quality, service and teamwork are central to success.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Leading and motivating the catering team, creating a positive and supportive working environment
• Taking a hands-on approach to food preparation, cooking and presentation
• Planning and delivering varied, seasonal menus using fresh, quality ingredients
• Overseeing food production and service across the catering operation
• Driving sales and supporting menu promotions in line with company standards
• Managing stock, purchasing and suppliers while minimising waste
• Monitoring food costs, budgets and profit margins to support commercial performance
• Maintaining high standards of food safety, hygiene, allergen management, HSE and COSHH compliance
• Ensuring food monitoring procedures and kitchen processes are followed consistently
• Working collaboratively with the school to deliver an excellent catering service

WHO YOU ARE

• An experienced Head Chef with a passion for fresh food and innovative menu planning
• A confident leader who can inspire, develop and support a catering team
• Skilled in food preparation, cooking and presentation
• Organised, proactive and able to manage competing priorities in a busy environment
• Knowledgeable about food safety, allergens, hygiene and kitchen safety
• Commercially aware, with an understanding of purchasing, budgeting, food costing and profit margins
• Numerate and computer literate, with strong communication and interpersonal skills
• A team player who takes pride in delivering excellent food and customer service

If you are an enthusiastic Head Chef looking to lead a school catering team and deliver an outstanding food experience, we'd love to hear from you.

About Us

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/0710/92404001/52814763/R/SU #Lodestone House

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!