Head Chef

Anglian Country Inns; Hitchin; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A family-run restaurant in Hitchin seeks an experienced Head Chef to lead the kitchen and ensure high culinary standards. The ideal candidate will be passionate about quality ingredients and sustainable practices. Responsibilities include menu development and maintaining compliance with safety regulations. The role offers a collaborative environment along with benefits like discounts across sites, staff accommodation, and a bonus scheme.

Benefits

Generous discount across all ACI sites

Free gym membership

Cycle to work scheme

Staff meals on shift

Charity day off each year

Qualifications

• Proven track record in culinary excellence and quality control.
• Experience leading a team in a high-pressure kitchen environment.
• Strong financial acumen and ability to manage food costs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the kitchen team and maintain high standards.
• Develop and deliver menu items consistent with 2 AA Rosette standards.
• Ensure adherence to food safety and hygiene regulations.

Skills

Culinary expertise

Leadership

Financial management

Quality control

Job description

Who are you?

You are the leader and face of your kitchen from the day to day running to creating special memories for our guests. It’s all about leading and inspiring your team every day, running a tight ship and keeping everyone safe whilst delivering our fresh, seasonal menus. Our kitchens are busy places so a level head, great organisation, delivered every time, with a smile, is the key to success.

About Us

We are a culinary destination. We pride ourselves on a genuine, fresh food-led philosophy, rooted deeply in the farm-to-fork ethos. Our commitment to quality is underscored by our prestigious 2 AA Rosette accreditation.

What truly sets us apart is our produce: we utilize ingredients harvested directly from our own kitchen garden and work closely with local suppliers to ensure traceability, provenance, and unparalleled freshness. We are looking for a Head Chef who shares this passion for exceptional ingredients and sustainable practices, leading our team to deliver dishes with precision, efficiency, and flair.

The Role: A Leader in the Kitchen

We are seeking an experienced Head Chef who can seamlessly blend culinary expertise with strong leadership and financial acumen. This role demands a professional who is passionate about quality control, mentoring a team, and maintaining impeccable standards in a busy, high‑pressure environment.

You will champion our site menu concept, utilizing your extensive culinary techniques to create dishes that delight our guests and exceed their expectations daily.

Key Skills and Responsibilities We're Looking For:

We are looking for a leader who demonstrates expertise across the following areas:

Culinary Excellence & Quality Control

• Mastery of Ingredients: You know how to recognize quality ingredients, maintain their condition, and use them to ensure every dish is delivered to a high standard consistently.
• Menu Development: Ability to create recipes, understand all dish specifications, and utilize knowledge of the local competitor market to enhance our offering.
• Farm-to-Fork Champion: A genuine commitment to minimizing wastage and actively using sustainable working practices, leveraging our kitchen garden produce effectively.
• Rosette Standards: Ability to ensure all food produced is of high quality, to specification, and worthy of our 2 AA Rosette status.

Leadership & Team Collaboration

• Inclusion & Empathy: You will foster a positive environment, communicate efficiently, practice empathy and equality, and lead the team by example.
• Mentorship: Taking pride in coaching and mentoring junior members of the team, identifying and implementing skills development needs.
• Calm Under Pressure: Remaining calm under pressure and resolving team collaboration issues with an active and positive approach.
• Guest Focus: Demonstrating leadership in delivering exceptional standards for our guests, with an aptitude for anticipating and meeting guest expectations.

Operations, Finance & Compliance

• Financial Acumen: Confidence in managing costs, conducting stock counts, running stock reports, and working to meet food GP budgets.
• Food Safety: Taking full responsibility for protecting everyone's health and safety, performing risk assessments, following all daily and weekly kitchen Food Safety checklists, and adhering to all EHO guidelines.
• Supply Chain Management: Experience in sending accurate purchase orders, managing delivery procedures, knowing order cut-off times, and understanding the importance of supplier traceability.

Are You the Right Fit?

We want a Head Chef who seeks out feedback, uses it to improve performance, and shows commitment to our mission, values, and behaviours. You will play an active role in ensuring a positive and professional image of the restaurant is upheld at all times.

What's in it for you?

• Generous discount across all ACI sites on both food and drink
• Regular trips out to suppliers locally and internationally
• Great share of tips and tronc
• Bonus Scheme
• Staff Accommodation available
• Staff meals on shift
• Rising Stars program for career progression within the company
• Free gym membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• ‘Live your life’, charity day off each year
• Wine at cost

Anglian Country Inns

Anglian Country Inns is a family run business that first opened its doors over twenty seven years ago and now we have nine award winning establishments across East Anglia, a coffee shop and brewery to boot!

If you think you have the relevant experience and want to join our friendly family please don’t delay and apply today