Head Chef

Holroyd Howe; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days holiday

Volunteer days

Grandparent leave

Enhanced maternity leave

Training & development

Pension & life insurance

Perkbox discounts

Wellbeing & EAP

Free meals at work

Apprenticeships for all

Job summary

Holroyd Howe, a leading contract caterer, is hiring a Head Chef to lead the culinary team at CFBL. You will create exceptional menus, manage kitchen operations, and deliver outstanding dining experiences for pupils, staff and visitors.

You will join a team focused on allergen controls, fresh ingredients and tailored school catering. You will recruit and develop staff, manage budgets, and ensure safety compliance while driving innovation across school menus.

Qualifications

• Executive/Head Chef experience in contract catering.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Passion for fresh ingredients and innovative menus.
• Excellent organisational and financial management skills.
• Knowledge of allergen controls and food safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen operations ensuring food quality, safety, and presentation.
• Create innovative and seasonal menus tailored to school needs.
• Recruit, train and develop kitchen staff.
• Control budgets, stock, and supplier relationships.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, health and safeguarding policies.
• Collaborate with school teams to deliver outstanding experiences.
• Champion allergen controls and safe mealtimes.

Skills

Executive/Head Chef experience

Leadership

Menu development

Cost control

Allergen management

Communication

Job description

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 Chefto lead the culinary team at CFBL 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 Executive Chef or Head Chef within a contract catering environment, preferable 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.

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.

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