Hospital Chef – Fresh, Nutritious Patient Meals

National health service; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is looking for a dedicated hospital kitchen chef to join one of the NHS in-house fresh cook kitchens. You will prepare meals for patients, staff and visitors, ensuring high standards, timely service and strict allergen and HACCP compliance.

You will work closely with the head chef, catering team and hospital stakeholders to maintain quality, optimise stock, and support continuous improvements in safe, healthy food service across the hospital.

Qualifications

• 3 GCSE or equivalent NVQ level 2 in catering.
• NVQ or equivalent in nutrition (Desirable).
• Basic qualification in food hygiene (CIEH Level 2).

Responsibilities

• Preparation from scratch of meals by following laid down recipes and methods of the kitchen.
• Cooking of dishes by the prescribed method and recording the temperatures reached.
• Keeping working area clean and safe, including deep cleaning of sections.
• Optimising stock by following FIFO and adjusting quantities with maths.
• Ensuring allergen information is correct and HACCP procedures are compliant and temperatures are recorded.
• Attend mandatory training and participate in catering-specific training such as food allergen, food safety & Listeria training.

Skills

Culinary service

Hospitality

Education

3 GCSE or NVQ level 2 in catering

NVQ in nutrition

Food hygiene (CIEH Level 2)

Job description

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is looking for a dedicated hospital kitchen chef to join one of the NHS in-house fresh cook kitchens. You will prepare meals for patients, staff and visitors, ensuring high standards, timely service and strict allergen and HACCP compliance.

You will work closely with the head chef, catering team and hospital stakeholders to maintain quality, optimise stock, and support continuous improvements in safe, healthy food service across the hospital.