Junior Production Chef 24 Hours/week

Heckfield Place; Heckfield; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 19,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Increased holiday allowance

Tronc (7,800+ per annum)

Vitality healthcare cover

Employee assistance programme

Life assurance (from day one)

Staff meals

Recruit a Friend bonus

Annual employee parties

Discount on dining

Discount on skincare products

Job summary

Heckfield Place is seeking a Junior Production Chef (24 Hours/Week) to work with the Production team, Culinary Director and Head of Culinary Training. You’ll craft preserves, bake breads from estate produce, and develop new products while respecting seasonality and waste reduction.

Based at Heckfield Home Farm, you’ll support events year-round, maintain safety standards, and contribute to our unique hospitality identity with creativity and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Passion for seasonal work and openness to learning new styles.
• Experience in production or pastry kitchen, ideally farm-to-table.
• Creativity to develop new products beyond following recipes.
• Experience with preserves: ferments, pickles, jams, cordials.
• Sound knowledge of food safety, allergens and labelling.
• Collaborative across kitchens, farm, and estate team.

Responsibilities

• Cover and cook at biweekly produce sales and related farm/estate events.
• Support in prep, cooking, service and delivery for events at Heckfield Home Farm.
• Champion the company principles and brand ethos in daily work.
• Produce seasonal baked goods, including sourdough, with proper labelling.
• Maintain stock levels and ensure proper rotation of products.
• Uphold food safety and hygiene procedures per policy and law.
• Assist in events throughout the year on Heckfield Home Farm.
• Champion our working culture and Heckfield brand ethos.

Skills

Seasonal cooking

Farm-to-table

Sourdough

Food safety

Collaborative mindset

Job description

Heckfield Place is a beautifully restored Georgian house set within a 400-acre working farm in Hampshire, under an hour from London. Our kitchens are led by what grows here: produce comes from our biodynamic market garden and Home Farm, and our chefs take regular tours of the land to draw inspiration from what's growing and what's coming next.

The role

We're looking for a Junior Production Chef (24 Hours/Week) to work closely with the Production team, Culinary Director and the Head of Culinary Training. You'll help us continue building our unique identity by using estate produce seasonally, creatively and respectfully — crafting preserves from what the season gives us, developing new baked goods around what's at its best, and making sure nothing good goes to waste.

What You’ll Be Doing

• To cover and cook at the biweekly produce sales and other periodic occasions that relate to the farm and estate.
• To support in the preparation, cooking, service and delivery of hospitality events held on Heckfield Home Farm throughout the year.
• To champion and promote the desired work culture around the company principles and brand ethos of Heckfield.
• Produce seasonal baked goods, including sourdough and other breads, ensuring labelling and packaging meet Heckfield Home Farm produce sales standards.
• Always maintain expected stock levels and proper rotation of products.
• Uphold a high standard of food safety, following the health and hygiene procedures set by our food safety policy and current legislation.
• Support the preparation, cooking, service and delivery of hospitality events held on Heckfield Home Farm throughout the year.
• Champion and promote our working culture, company principles and the Heckfield brand ethos.

About You

• A genuine passion for working seasonally, and an openness to learning new styles and techniques.
• Some experience in a production or pastry kitchen, ideally with a produce-led or farm-to-table operation.
• The creativity to develop new products rather than only follow recipes.
• This role is doing preserving — ferments, pickles, jams, cordials — keen to learn.
• Sound working knowledge of food safety, allergens and labelling requirements.
• A collaborative approach — happy working across kitchens, the farm and the wider estate team.

This is a baking-led role, and we're particularly keen to hear from people with some experience in:

• Laminated pastry
• Sourdough
• Broader baking craft

Benefits:

Salary - £16,848 PA

• Increased holiday allowance
• Tronc (Allocation for 2025 was £7,800+ per annum / per person based on full time hours)
• Vitality healthcare cover
• Employee assistance programme
• Life assurance scheme (from day one, covering up to 2x your annual salary)
• 50% F&B discount when dining in our restaurants
• Company sick pay
• Enhanced maternity pay
• Enhanced paternity pay
• Recruit a Friend bonus (£1000)
• Monthly employee recognition scheme
• Annual employee parties
• Free staff meals
• Daily briefings with the team, including food tasting - opportunities to work with the Home Farm
• 50% discount on Wildsmith Skin products

If you would like to work in a collaborative and creative environment.