Second Chef - Care Home

Barchester Healthcare; Larkhill; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellence bonus

Refer a friend scheme

Staff discounts

Medical specialists access

Counselling services

Tax code review

Job summary

Barchester Healthcare is seeking a passionate Second Chef to prepare fresh, seasonal dishes in a resident-centered setting. You will support the Head Chef, help tailor menus to individual resident preferences, and maintain high standards of quality without split shifts.

Join a team that prides itself on warm, supportive care and quality as a core value. This role emphasizes work-life balance, kitchen efficiency, and delivering nutritious meals that residents love.

Qualifications

• Personable, warm approach focused on resident wellbeing.
• Strong nutrition knowledge and experience with fresh seasonal food.
• Ability to create appetising, nutritious menus with residents.
• Experience in menu development and balancing flavours.
• Good HACCP understanding and food safety compliance.

Responsibilities

• Manage kitchen in Head Chef’s absence.
• Assist Head Chef in menu development.
• Prepare high-quality dishes using fresh produce.
• Create a warm, efficient, and welcoming kitchen environment.
• Manage stock and budget, conduct regular audits.

Skills

Personable approach

Warm nutrition knowledge

Fresh seasonal food experience

Menu development

Resident engagement

HACCP understanding

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 development
• Work withfresh 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.