Head Pastry Chef

Gidleigh Park - Kitchen; Highweek; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Service charge on top of base salary

Perkbox discounts

Staff meals on duty

Development pathways

Internal promotions

Milestone rewards

Job summary

Gidleigh Park in Devon is seeking a Head Pastry Chef to lead the pastry brigade in our Michelin One‑Star kitchen, delivering desserts, breads and pastries to the highest standards. You will design seasonal menus, manage pastry production and mentor the team to maintain precision and presentation.

Stay ahead of trends, drive culinary excellence, and contribute to a guest experience that reflects our 5 AA red stars and Relais & Châteaux status. On-site staff accommodations may be available.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Head Pastry Chef in a fine dining or Michelin-starred kitchen.
• Strong leadership and mentorship skills with cost and inventory control.
• Commitment to high standards of quality and presentation.
• Knowledge of HACCP and food safety compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead all pastry operations and service delivery. Production and supply of sweets, breads, biscuits, pastries etc.
• Collaborate with senior culinary team on menu development and guest experiences.
• Control food costs, wastage, ordering, and inventory.
• Train employees to perform duties with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
• Oversee pastry mise en place, ingredients, components and stations for seamless service.
• Uphold HACCP procedures and high cleanliness standards.

Skills

Pastry leadership

Dessert production

Menu development

Food safety

Job description

Location:Set on the upper reaches of the River Teign, the 24-bedroom Gidleigh Park enjoys an exquisite location on the very edge of Dartmoor National Park in Devon. With 5 AA red stars, a stunning quality led 1 Michelin starred restaurant and a member of Relais & Châteaux, Gidleigh Park is widely recognised as one of the best hotels and restaurants in the UK, and can offer learning and development opportunities few others can. The hotel may also be able to offer on-site staff accommodation, in order to help the newest members of the team re-locate and settle in, and has free on-site parking. SERVICE CHARGE-We pay our team service charge each month! This service charge all goes into one pot, and 100% of that service charge is then shared amongst all the team at the hotel-every penny received is paid out to the team. Service charge can be in the region of £395 a month (close to £4,750 per year) over and above base pay for a full time employee.

The Head Pastry Chef is responsible for leading and developing the pastry section within a Michelin One-Star kitchen, ensuring the consistent delivery of exceptional desserts, pastries, breads, petits fours, and other pastry offerings that reflect the restaurant's culinary vision and quality standards. The role combines creative excellence with operational leadership, maintaining the highest levels of craftsmanship, innovation, presentation, and food safety.

Working closely with the Executive Chef and wider kitchen brigade, the Head Pastry Chef designs and executes seasonal menus, manages pastry production, controls costs and inventory, mentors team members, and ensures all dishes meet the precision, consistency, and attention to detail expected within a fine dining environment.

We expect the Head Pastry Chef to stay abreast of industry trends and techniques, continually seeking opportunities to enhance the guest experience while upholding the restaurant's reputation for culinary excellence. The role plays a critical part in maintaining Michelin-standard service through effective planning, strong leadership, and an uncompromising commitment to quality.

This role would suit someone who is excited to be inspired by Gidleigh Parks beautiful surrounding’s and its 107-acre Estate on the edge of Dartmoor. Have the desire to be part of a team that looks to celebrate fantastic natural ingredients in its dishes, aspiring to the highest possible levels of excellence and guest experience.

We look forward to hearing from applicants who has worked in a similar environment, at a similar level previously and who possess skills and experience in the production of Viennoiserie and chocolates.

Check out some of the key points about the role:

• Lead all pastry operations and service delivery. Production and supply of sweets, breads, biscuits, pastries etc.
• Collaborate with the senior culinary team on menu development and guest experiences.
• Control food costs, wastage, ordering, and inventory.
• To assist in the training of employees, ensuring that they have the necessary skills to perform their duties with maximum efficiency and in the most productive manner.
• Oversee all pastry mise en place activities, ensuring ingredients, components, and service stations are prepared, organised, and maintained to support seamless service and consistent execution.
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, hygiene, allergen management, and HACCP procedures, maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness, storage, labelling, and kitchen safety at all times.
• Inspire, lead, and develop the team’s pastry knowledge and skill by fostering a culture of excellence, creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement, ensuring high levels of engagement and performance.

To say thank you, we have many perks:

• Competitive pay – We are proud that everyone who joins our group gets a competitive a rate of pay, irrespective of age, plus you get service charge and tips on top.
• Treat yourself once in a while with lots of retail and hospitality perks through our Perkbox platform.
• Excellent discounts across our family of hotels – you will be entitled to 25% off food & beverage in our hotels plus we offer an amazing staff rate of £25 B&B per person across the group & your friends and family get special rates too.
• We understand it’s OK not to be OK, so we offer an externally run confidential helpline for any support you require about anything you might need as part of our Employee Assistance Programme.
• We sustain you physically too, meals when you are on duty are free.
• Everyone can learn and develop - our development pathways are unique to us and are the best in the business.
• We provide lots of opportunity to progress and move up – we have made hundreds of internal promotions, including to General Manager level.
• We like to say a special thank you for every year you are with us - our milestone awards include Champagne, afternoon tea, or dinner for you and someone special. When you reach the big milestones, you receive extra special gifts on top like longer hotel stays, extra days off and a unique gift especially chosen for you.

About our family of hotels

We bring a family of hotels together under one roof, ready to welcome guests with open arms, warm hearts and experiences that are simply memorable.

Each of our hotels are unique, individual, and quirky in personality. Quality is fundamental to everything we do, and it is the simple things that matter. We believe everyone should feel included, special and welcome, and that applies to our team and our guests.

We have very unique hotels in very special locations, from the award winning Gidleigh Park in Devon, the 900-year-old Amberley Castle to our stylish boutique townhouse in the heart of Chelsea – to see the whole group, take a look herewww.brownswordhotels.co.uk