Second Chef - Care Home

Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited; Crawley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rewarding Excellence bonus up to £500

Refer a friend bonus up to £500

Retail and leisure discounts

Access to medical specialists

Counselling and legal services

Tax code review service

Monthly staff lottery

Terms & conditions apply

Job summary

Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited is seeking a qualified Second Chef to deliver hotel/restaurant-standard meals with a focus on fresh seasonal produce and resident wellbeing. You will support the Head Chef in menu development, tailor meals to residents, and maintain high quality while avoiding split shifts and long weeks.

We value warmth, passion, and a commitment to quality. The role is within a sector-leading healthcare provider with strong ratings and extensive homes network across the UK.

Qualifications

• Personable and warm approach; genuine care for residents’ wellbeing.
• Good understanding of nutrition and ability to tailor menus to resident needs.
• Experience cooking with fresh seasonal produce.
• Assist Head Chef in menu development and cost-effective planning.
• Ability to work within budget and complete regular kitchen audits.
• Confident in engaging with residents to create appetising, nutritious menus; HACCP aware.

Responsibilities

• Manage kitchen in Head Chef's absence.
• Assist Head Chef in menu development and planning.
• Work with fresh produce to deliver high-quality dishes.
• Create a warm, efficient, and welcoming kitchen environment.
• Work within budget and monitor stock levels.
• Complete regular audits and stock control.

Skills

Personable and warm approach

Nutrition knowledge

Fresh seasonal food experience

Menu development support

Budget management

Audit proficiency

Resident engagement

Education

City & Guilds/NVQ/SVQ or equivalent

Job description

Are you a qualified Chef looking to work with fresh seasonal food, with the opportunity to have more of a work life balance and make what you do matter? Working as a Second Chef at Barchester, you will have the chance to deliver hotel/restaurant standards without the split shifts and long weeks. You will assist the Head Chef in creating nutritious, flavoursome and well balanced menus whilst working with residents to tailor menus around them. We are proud to deliver person centred hospitality across all our services and look for warm, motivated and passionate chefs who are driven by quality. Here at Barchester, we work with an open, honest, supportive approach, where quality of care is at the heart of everything we do. As sector leading healthcare experts, we are proud to have the highest quality ratings across our 224 homes and hospitals across the UK. Barchester have proudly been awarded a two-star outstanding rating by Best Companies, ranked 11th in the top 20 Best Health & Social Care Companies to work for and 14th in the Top 25 Best Big Companies to Work For in the UK.

NEED TO HAVE

• A personable and warm approach with a genuine interest in the wellbeing of residents
• Hold City & Guilds/NVQ/SVQ or equivalent
• A good understanding of nutrition
• Experience of working with fresh seasonal food
• The ability to create a warm and welcoming environment within our home
• Confidence engaging with residents to create appetising and nutritious menus
• Good understanding of HACCP

NEED TO DO

• Manage the kitchen in the Head Chef's absence
• Assist Head Chef in menu developmentWork with fresh produce to deliver high quality and wholesome dishes cooked at the highest quality and standards
• Create a warm, efficient and fun environment
• Work within budget
• Complete regular audits
• Manage stock control

REWARDS PACKAGE

• Rewarding Excellence bonus, meaning you will be financially rewarded by up to £500* for a Good or Outstanding CQC inspection
• Unlimited access to our generous refer a friend scheme, earning up to £500* per referral
• Access to a wide range of retail and leisure discounts at big brands and supermarkets
• Free access to medical specialists, who are available for a second opinion if you need it to make a decision with confidence
• Confidential and free access to counselling and legal services
• Tax code review service, where we will check that you are on the right code and paying the right level of tax
• Option to join our monthly staff lottery alongside thousands of colleagues across the UK
• *Terms & conditions apply

If you are a passionate Chef who is keen to be part of a company that is driven by quality and who love to celebrate life, Barchester is the place to be.