Head Chef

Peach Pubs; Watford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tronc scheme

Food discount

Bonus scheme

Flexible hours

Career progression

Training opportunities

Inspiration days

Parental leave pay

Mental health support

Long service recognition

Reduced hours target

Job summary

Peach Pubs is seeking a talented Head Chef to lead the kitchen at one of our characterful gastro pubs. You’ll own the kitchen operation, shape the menus, and inspire a team to deliver high-quality dishes with every pass. A passion for fresh ingredients, proper pub classics and staff development is essential.

We offer support, autonomy and opportunities to grow in a values-led environment, with a focus on guest experience, responsible sourcing and team development across Peach pubs.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a kitchen in a fresh-food pub, restaurant or gastro pub.

Responsibilities

• Leading the kitchen day to day and taking full ownership of food quality, standards and service.
• Creating, developing and delivering fresh, seasonal menus and specials with real guest appeal.
• Running smooth, well-organised services while keeping quality, pace and presentation high.
• Recruiting, coaching, supporting and developing Sous Chefs, Chef de Parties, Commis Chefs and kitchen team members.
• Managing prep, stock, ordering, suppliers, wastage and kitchen organisation with strong commercial awareness.
• Protecting food margin, controlling costs and making smart decisions that support a successful pub kitchen.
• Maintaining excellent standards of food safety, hygiene, stock rotation, allergen awareness and kitchen safety.
• Working closely with the General Manager and front-of-house team to deliver a joined-up guest experience.
• Living The Peach values and helping us Make Life Peachy for every guest

Skills

Team leadership

Kitchen management

Menu development

Cost control

Food safety

Food quality

Mentoring juniors

Job description

Head Chef - Peach Pubs

Head Chef Role with Peach Pubs

We are on the hunt for a talented and passionate Head Chef to lead the kitchen at one of our characterful Peach gastro pubs.

As Head Chef, you'll take full ownership of the kitchen, leading the team, shaping the food, keeping standards high and making sure every dish leaves the pass looking and tasting its best.

You'll love it here if you're compassionate, kind and honest, with bags of passion for fresh food, proper pub classics and developing people. We provide a safe, respectful and inclusive environment where you can lead with confidence, inspire your team and create food guests want to come back for.

Why Join Peach Pubs?

At Peach Pubs, we create welcoming, characterful gastro pubs where guests love to spend time and teams love coming to work. Great hospitality starts with great people, so we're committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, supported and encouraged to grow.

Whether you're already an experienced Head Chef in a fresh-food pub, restaurant or gastro pub, or a strong Sous Chef ready to step up, we'll give you the support, autonomy and opportunities you need to succeed.

Our Food Philosophy

At Peach, we believe in always serving the good stuff. That means fresh, seasonal and sustainable food, made with care and served with pride.

We work with brilliant local suppliers wherever we can, choosing free-range, well-sourced and ethical ingredients that help us create food our guests love and our teams can feel proud of.

Our menus celebrate proper pub classics. The quality of the ingredients are always evident, and our specials menus are a brilliant opportunity for chefs to show creativity, take ownership and wow our guests.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading the kitchen day to day and taking full ownership of food quality, standards and service
• Creating, developing and delivering fresh, seasonal menus and specials with real guest appeal
• Running smooth, well-organised services while keeping quality, pace and presentation high
• Recruiting, coaching, supporting and developing Sous Chefs, Chef de Parties, Commis Chefs and kitchen team members
• Managing prep, stock, ordering, suppliers, wastage and kitchen organisation with strong commercial awareness
• Protecting food margin, controlling costs and making smart decisions that support a successful pub kitchen
• Maintaining excellent standards of food safety, hygiene, stock rotation, allergen awareness and kitchen safety
• Working closely with the General Manager and front-of-house team to deliver a joined-up guest experience
• Living The Peach values and helping us Make Life Peachy for every guest

What We’re Looking For

We're looking for someone with a positive attitude, strong fresh-food kitchen experience and the confidence to lead a team and run a successful gastro pub kitchen. You'll be calm under pressure, commercially aware, hands-on and proud of delivering consistent food with quality, care and pace.

You'll be a great fit if you are:

• Friendly, reliable and ready to lead the kitchen with confidence
• Experienced in a fresh-food pub, restaurant or gastro pub and passionate about proper pub classics
• Confident creating specials, shaping menus and making the most of seasonal ingredients
• A positive leader who can recruit, coach, encourage and develop a happy kitchen team
• Calm, organised and able to keep standards high during busy services
• Commercially aware, with pride in GP, stock control, supplier relationships, kitchen standards and reducing waste
• Looking for a rewarding Head Chef role with autonomy, support and opportunities to grow

Head Chef Benefits

• Competitive Salary plus access to our fantastic tronc scheme through Tip Jar - £1 - £2.50 extra per hour, pub specific.
• 25% discount on food and drink across all Peach Pubs
• Bonus Scheme - Be financially rewarded for the Success of your Pub.
• Flexible working opportunities to help support a healthy work-life balance
• Career progression opportunities across our growing pub group
• In-house and external learning opportunities to help you reach your full potential
• Inspiration days across the UK
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Access to accredited Mental Health First Aiders
• Long service recognition
• 80% of our full-time teams already work fewer than 48 hours a week, and we're committed to reducing this further

A Peachy Place to Work, Learn and Grow

• Be part of a welcoming, values-led team where people genuinely matter
• Learn new hospitality skills and gain valuable experience
• Develop your confidence through training and support
• Build lasting friendships and be part of a great pub community
• Help create memorable moments for guests every day

The Bigger Peach

We're passionate about more than just great pubs. From supporting local charities and communities to reducing our environmental impact, we're committed to making a positive difference.

Our team members are encouraged to get involved in fundraising, sustainability initiatives and community projects that help make life peachy for everyone.

"The best thing about Peach is the people. Everyone looks out for each other, and every day is different. It's a great place to learn, grow and have fun while making guests feel welcome."