Sous Chef

Cairn Group; Newton Aycliffe; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentives and service charge

Leadership and career development

Opportunities across portfolio

Discounted stays across hotels

Food, beverage, spa and leisure perks

Retail, entertainment and lifestyle

Health Care Cash Plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Wellbeing resources and support

Long service awards

Job summary

Cairn Group is seeking an experienced Sous Chef for Redworth Hall Hotel. You will deputise for the Head Chef, lead the pass, and manage a brigade across restaurant, weddings and banqueting, ensuring quality and consistency on every plate.

You’ll train and develop the team from commis to chef de partie, plan mise en place, contribute to menu development, and manage ordering, stock and waste to protect food GP. Strong HACCP and allergen knowledge are essential.

Qualifications

• Sous Chef or strong Junior Sous ready to step up.
• Experience in busy multi-outlet kitchen, ideally hotel banqueting.
• Natural leader who stays calm on the pass.
• Passion for food and leading by example.
• Commercial awareness: GP, stock, ordering and wastage.
• Level 3 Food Safety preferred.

Responsibilities

• Deputising for Head Chef and taking charge in their absence.
• Running the pass and leading service with pace and consistency.
• Leading, training and developing brigade from commis to chef de partie.
• Planning mise en place and prep across restaurant, weddings, banqueting and team catering.
• Contributing to menu development, new dishes, specs and tastings.
• Managing ordering, stock control and waste to deliver food GP.
• Supporting kitchen rotas and labour planning around the business.
• Upholding HACCP, allergen and health and safety standards.
• Working closely with front of house and events teams so every service runs smoothly.

Skills

Sous Chef

Team leadership

Stock control

Food safety

Allergen knowledge

Education

Level 3 Food Safety

Job description

Location: Redworth Hall Hotel
Department: Kitchen
Hours: 45 hours, 5 days over 7
Days: 5 days a week including weekends and bank holidays
Employment Type: Permanent, contracted

Join Cairn Group – Where People Drive Hospitality Forward, Together

At Cairn Group, memorable guest experiences start with our people, and in our kitchens that means chefs who care about what goes on the plate.

One Kitchen. Every Kind of Service.

Restaurant: à la carte and grill service, with dry-aged ribeye and chateaubriand, 15oz lamb shank, twice-baked cheese soufflé, miso baked cod and hand-raised pies on our new winter menu.

Weddings: wedding breakfasts and evening food, plated to a high standard for a couple's biggest day.

Banqueting: large-number plated dinners, buffets, conferences and celebrations, where timing and consistency are everything.

Football teams: fuelling visiting squads with team meals cooked to their requirements.

One day you're running the pass for a full restaurant, the next you're leading a banquet or cooking for a squad before a match. Few kitchens offer this much range under one roof.

What You’ll Be Doing

Deputising for the Head Chef and taking full charge of the kitchen in their absence.

Running the pass and leading service, keeping pace, quality and consistency on every plate.

Leading, training and developing the brigade, from commis to chef de partie.

Planning and organising mise en place and prep across restaurant, weddings, banqueting and team catering.

Contributing to menu development, new dishes, specs and tastings.

Managing ordering, stock control, portion control and waste to deliver food GP.

Supporting kitchen rotas and labour planning around the business.

Upholding food safety, HACCP, allergen and health and safety standards, with due diligence records kept up to date.

Working closely with front of house and events teams so every service and function runs smoothly.

What We're Looking For

An experienced Sous Chef, or a strong Junior Sous or senior Chef de Partie ready to step up.

A background in a busy, multi-outlet kitchen, ideally in a hotel with banqueting and events.

A natural leader who stays calm on the pass and brings the brigade with them.

A chef who loves food, takes pride in their craft and sets the standard for others.

Commercial awareness: confident with GP, stock, ordering and wastage.

Strong knowledge of food safety, HACCP and allergens [Level 3 Food Safety preferred].

Ambition to progress to Head Chef.

Why Cairn Group?

Our People First culture combines ambitious standards with genuine support, creating an environment where individuals are trusted to perform, encouraged to grow and recognised for the contribution they make. We believe success is built through collaboration, accountability and a shared commitment to excellence, giving our people the foundation to build long-term careers with purpose.

What You’ll Enjoy as Part of the Team

• Incentives and service charge - inc Tronc from Restaurant service charge
• Leadership and career development programmes
• Opportunities to progress across our diverse hospitality portfolio
• Discounted stays across our hotels and venues
• Food, beverage, spa and leisure discounts
• Retail, entertainment and lifestyle discounts
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Employee Assistance Programme offering confidential support whenever you need it
• Wellbeing resources and support
• Long service awards

About Redworth Hall Hotel

Redworth Hall Hotel is an award-winning four-star spa hotel near Darlington and Durham, centred around a 17th-century Jacobean manor and set within 26 acres of landscaped grounds. Home to The Retreat Spa, the hotel is a popular destination for country escapes, dining, weddings, celebrations and events.

Join our brigade and help lead a kitchen that does it all.