Head Chef - New Forest - The Old Mill

Upham Inns; England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A vibrant premium pub in Hordle seeks a Head Chef to lead the kitchen and deliver exceptional dining experiences. Join a passionate team in a picturesque setting, where you'll inspire others and create unforgettable meals. Competitive salary and great perks offered.

Benefits

Up to £50,000 of Tronc

Flexible shift patterns

Up to 33% off meals off duty

Discounts on hotel accommodation

Development program with clear pathway

Lifestyle card for over 5,000 discounts

Service Awards

Chef recruitment incentives up to £1000

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a fresh food, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage stock with minimal wastage.
• Natural leader with a deep love for food.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organise and direct food preparation and cooking.
• Ensure food hygiene and safety standards.
• Oversee day-to-day kitchen operations proactively.

Skills

Culinary and presentation skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Passion for food

Organisational skills

Education

Minimum 1 year experience as a Head Chef

Job description

Cook With Character, Lead With Heart

Head Chef | The Old Mill, Hordle

Nestled in the beautiful village of Hordle, The Old Mill is a stunning converted watermill bursting with heritage and charm. With its cosy interiors, original features, and a peaceful riverside garden, it’s the kind of place where people gather to relax, celebrate, and reconnect.

Whether it’s a perfectly cooked Sunday roast by the fire, a vibrant summer salad enjoyed in the sunshine, or a comforting midweek classic – we’re all about creating unforgettable dining experiences. As Head Chef, you’ll lead the kitchen in bringing those moments to life, plate by plate.

Your Role

As Head Chef, you’ll be the creative and operational leader of the kitchen, driving standards, innovation, and consistency. You will:

• Inspire and lead a dedicated brigade, creating a positive and professional kitchen culture.

• Deliver seasonal, quality-led menus that reflect the charm and warmth of The Old Mill.

• Ensure every dish leaves the pass with exacting standards in presentation, taste, and consistency.

• Be fully responsible for kitchen performance, including food GP, stock control, ordering, and labour.

• Collaborate closely with the General Manager to drive the overall success of the pub.

What You Bring

You’re a natural leader with a deep love for food, and you know how to build and lead a high-performing kitchen. You:

• Have proven experience as Head Chef (or Senior Sous ready to step up) in a fresh food, fast-paced environment.

• Combine creativity and discipline, knowing how to balance innovation with consistency.

• Are commercially minded, with a strong understanding of food cost, wastage, and labour control.

• Care deeply about quality – of ingredients, processes, and the team culture you create.

• Thrive under pressure and never compromise on standards, even at the busiest times.

Why The Old Mill?

Because this is more than just a kitchen – it’s a place where people connect through food. You’ll be working in one of Hampshire’s most atmospheric pubs, leading a team with pride, and cooking food you can be proud of. This is your chance to shape the food reputation of a venue where quality and character matter.

If you’re ready to lead with heart and hustle, we’d love to hear from you.

What’s in it for you?

• Up to £50,000of Tronc (this can be up to £5000 per year)
• Flexible shift patterns
• Up to 33% off meals taken off duty for you and up to 6 guests
• 33% off our hotel accommodation & 20% for Friends and Family
• Development program with a clear pathway
• Access to the lifestyle card – which will provide you with instant access to over5,000 discountsacross all aspects of their lifestyle. With thousands of discounts covering local independents, national and online businesses, there are plenty of opportunities to save money. The lifestyle card is a100% free benefitfor our Upham Inn team members.
• Service Awards
• Refer a friend and Chef recruitment incentives of up to £1000

Head Chef Requirements:

• Excellent Culinary and presentation skills
• Minimum 1 years experience as a Head Chef
• Excellent Communication and Interpersonal skills
• Energetic with passion to do a great job
• Able to manage staff in a calm, inspirational manner
• A forward-thinker that can manage stock with minimal wastage
• Demonstrates a passion for food
• Team Player
• Excellent organisation skills
• An understanding of profit margins and food stock controls.
• The Right to Work in the UK

Head Chef Responsibilities:

• Plan, organise and direct the preparation and cooking of food ensuring that the company's reputation for quality is enhanced
• Preparing high quality food for our guests quickly and efficiently
• Maintaining food hygiene and safety standards
• Responsibility for ordering and stock controls, reduction of waste
• Overseeing day to day kitchen operations in a proactive and hands-on way
• Leading a team of chefs and KP's, Train, Coach and mentoring is a must
• Maintaining a clean and organised kitchen
• Adhere to allergen laws and respect for dietary requirements
• producing rotas and cleaning schedules for kitchen staff

What do we do?

We own a collection of beautiful and individual premium pubs across Southern England. Our pubs are in idyllic settings in country villages and towns, where we are proud to be the quality local of the area, serving high quality fresh pub food in a cozy pub ambience. Most of our pubs have some Charming Bedrooms as well. New to our growing family is Harper’s Steakhouse, a new premium American Steakhouse brand that we started rolling out last year.

It’s an exciting time to join us!

Upham Inns is growing, and we want you to grow with us and be part of our success. We’ve been busy investing in our business and we are seeing some great results. So, we want to continue to grow our pub family and we are looking to recruit passionate people into our team

We are looking for great people to join us

Our company is big enough to support you but small enough to care about your individual needs. We are a friendly, hands-on team who have a passion for running great pubs. We are always on the lookout for like-minded people who have the desire to work and grow with us.