Head Chef

Sussex Inns; Reading; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gratuities

Free on-site parking

Creative menu freedom

Job summary

The Calleva Arms in Reading is seeking a confident Head Chef to lead a busy gastro pub kitchen, delivering seasonal, flavour-led dishes and maintaining high standards across service and events.

You will control GP and food costs, manage stock, prep planning and waste, while mentoring a close-knit team and working closely with front-of-house to ensure smooth service and memorable guest experiences. Creative menu input and the ability to handle private functions are key.

Qualifications

• Confident and experienced Head Chef
• Strong GP and costing knowledge with margins
• Experience with buffets, events, and dietary requirements
• Ability to lead a team and collaborate with front of house
• Experience with private events and themed menus

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen in a busy gastro pub
• Manage stock ordering, prep planning, and waste reduction
• Collaborate with front of house for seamless service
• Oversee breakfast to dinner services and themed nights
• Ensure fresh, flavour-led pub dishes

Skills

Team leadership

Costing

Menu development

Stock control

Food safety

Job description

Head Chef – The Calleva Arms

Are you ready to lead a passionate kitchen team in a thriving gastro pub? T

We’re a warm and welcoming village pub known for our consistently great food, relaxed atmosphere, and friendly team. From a fresh, seasonal à la carte offering to themed evenings and special event menus, we take pride in delivering delicious dishes that our guests love to return for.

What We Offer:

• A bustling kitchen environment with a supportive, close-knit team
• Creative freedom to influence and evolve the menu
• Opportunities to work on a wide variety of services – from breakfast to Sunday roasts, pizza and tapas nights to set menus for private functions and buffets
• A focus on quality, mostly fresh food, with attention to seasonal ingredients and flavour
• A share of gratuities
• Free on site parking

About You:

We’re looking for a confident and experienced Head Chef who:

• Is comfortable running a busy kitchen and thrives under pressure
• Has strong GP and costing knowledge with a sharp eye on margins
• Can manage stock ordering, prep planning, and minimise wastage
• Works collaboratively with the front of house to ensure seamless service
• Is passionate about fresh, flavour-led, gastro-style pub food
• Enjoys leading a team with positivity, good humour and respect

Experience with buffets, sit-down events and managing dietary requirements is a must – our calendar contains bookings for private events, corporate functions, and fun community nights!

Typical Service Times:

• Lunch: 12pm–3:00pm (3.:30pm on Saturday)
• Dinner: 5pm–8:30pm
• Themed Nights & Events throughout the month

Interested

If you're ready to lead a kitchen that puts pride in people, produce, and pub classics done well, we’d love to hear from you.