Head Chef - Care Home

Barchester Healthcare is a leading provider of care homes in the UK, offering a range of services including residential, nursing, and dementia care. As a Head Chef in one of their care homes, you will have the opportunity to deliver high-quality, restaurant-standard meals to residents, while enjoying a better work-life balance with set working days and weekends.

Main Duties of the Job

As a Head Chef at Barchester, you will have the chance to deliver hotel/restaurant standards without the split shifts and long hours. Our chefs have full autonomy in creating nutritious, flavoursome and well-balanced menus, whilst also taking ownership of their kitchen and ongoing team development. You will be responsible for leading, motivating, and inspiring a team, developing and upskilling where required, as well as menu development, working with fresh produce to deliver high quality and wholesome dishes cooked to the highest standards. You will also assist the front of house team with setting up the dining areas, work within budget, complete regular audits and stock control, and create a warm, efficient and fun environment.

About Us

Barchester Healthcare is driven by quality and high standards, and is committed to providing a rewarding and supportive work environment for their employees.

Job Responsibilities

Are you a passionate and qualified Chef looking for a better work-life balance? If you are keen to be part of a company that is driven by quality and high standards, Barchester is the place to be!

Your Benefits and Rewards

1. Working days and alternate weekends only, across 4/5 days a week
2. Rewarding Excellence' bonus where you will be financially rewarded up to £500* for a Good or Outstanding CQC inspection
3. Unlimited access to our Refer a Friend' scheme, earning up to £500* per referral
4. Access to a wide range of retail and leisure discounts with big brands, supermarkets, and travel companies
5. Free access to medical specialists, who are on hand for a second opinion if you need it
6. Confidential and free access to counselling and legal services
7. Tax Code Review Service to check you're on the right code and paying the right level of tax
8. Option to join our monthly staff lottery alongside your colleagues nationwide

Your Experience and Qualifications

1. A personable and warm approach with a genuine interest in the wellbeing of residents
2. Hold City & Guilds/NVQ/SVQ or equivalent
3. Experience in leading, motivating, and inspiring a team
4. Experience of working with fresh seasonal food with a good understanding of nutrition
5. The ability to create a warm and welcoming environment within our homes
6. Confidence engaging with residents to create appetising and nutritious menus
7. Experience working with a front of house team to ensure the restaurants are set up to a high standard
8. Good understanding of HACCP and COSHH
9. Knowledge around modified diets using the IDDSI framework (If new to care, we will train and develop chefs on these techniques)

Your Role and Responsibilities

1. Lead, motivate, and inspire a team, develop and upskill where required
2. Menu development, tailoring around residents to ensure we deliver person-centred hospitality
3. Work with fresh produce to deliver high quality and wholesome dishes cooked to the highest standards
4. Bake fresh cakes, scones, and breads from scratch
5. Assist the front of house team with setting up of the dining areas
6. Work within budget, complete regular audits and stock control
7. Create a warm, efficient, and fun environment
8. Ongoing recruitment and retention
9. Managing the performance of the kitchen team and front of house

We are exceptionally proud of our Barchester Chef Academy, where chefs have the opportunity to learn new techniques and further develop their skills, whilst also sharing their knowledge to support the growth of others across the business. This fantastic academy experience is held throughout the year and is offered to all of our chefs.

Our internal Learning and Development team also offers industry-recognised apprenticeships and further qualifications to chefs and hospitality team members who are looking to build upon and/or develop their skills.

Interested? If you are a motivated and dedicated chef who is ready to be part of something special, apply today!

*Terms & conditions apply

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Person Specification

Qualifications

• You will need to hold a City & Guilds/NVQ/SVQ or equivalent qualification, and have experience in leading, motivating, and inspiring a team, as well as working with fresh seasonal food with a good understanding of nutrition. You should also have the ability to create a warm and welcoming environment, and confidence engaging with residents to create appetising and nutritious menus.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.