Head Chef

Oli Aubrey-Thomas; England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A respected pub and hotel chain in the UK is seeking a Head Chef to craft innovative menus using fresh, seasonal ingredients. This role offers full creative autonomy and the opportunity to lead a passionate kitchen team. Ideal candidates will have experience in high-quality food service, excellent leadership skills, and a proactive approach to menu development. You will enjoy perks like free meals, discounts, and a robust company pension scheme.

Benefits

Free meals

20% off in all Young’s Pubs

30% discount on overnight stays

Enhanced Company Pension Scheme

28 Days Holiday per year

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or Sous Chef in a busy kitchen.
• Ability to create and design menus with fresh seasonal ingredients.
• Experience in managing kitchen staff and ensuring health and safety compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the kitchen team to deliver excellent food and service.
• Create seasonal menus that reflect local produce.
• Manage kitchen operations, staff training, and safety standards.

Skills

Leadership

Creativity

Communication

Organizational Skills

Team Player

Job description

Head Chef

The Lamb, a 12th-century coaching inn with 18 beautiful boutique bedrooms in an idyllic setting in the postcard village of Hindon.

We’re a fun team and we’re passionate about customers and our four-legged friends! We’re a massively dog‑friendly pub and hotel and look after a lot of shooting parties during the shooting season!

The Lamb is a favourite with the locals, offering everything from a pint of real ale to cocktails on our garden terrace, three‑course dinners in the restaurant to delicious Sunday roasts!

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 it’s 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 their 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 who can inspire a team, 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