Senior Chef

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Senior Chef

Somerset Larder

Leadership & Section Management

-Section Management: Capable of seamlessly stepping in and running all operational sections of the central production kitchen, including:

Main Kitchen
Salad Room
Bakery
Cold Room
Goods In

-Quality & Dish Oversight: Monitor, check, and maintain high standards for all dishes regarding quality, portion size, temperature, and presentation prior to leaving the kitchen.

-Dispatch Oversight: Oversee the dispatch process to ensure all outgoing orders are complete, correctly packaged, labelled, and dispatched on time to customer requirements.

-Food Production: Prepare and cook high-quality food efficiently in line with company standards and menu specifications. Assist with additional functions as required.

Training

-Training: Lead the hands-on training of new Chefs and Apprentices, teaching them preparation techniques and cooking methods for menu items they have not cooked before.

-Skill Development: Nurture the culinary growth of staff through demonstration, constructive feedback, and daily support.

Operations & Reporting

-Reporting: Maintain clear communication with Chef Supervisors and Management regarding daily operations, production progress, section issues, or stock needs.

-Waste: Work efficiently to minimise food waste.

-Stock & Deliveries: Ensure raw materials and packaging received meet specifications and are stored correctly in storage areas. Assist in stock orders when required.

-Menu Implementation: Contribute to the testing, and implementation of new products, prep methods, and menu items.

Health, Safety & Compliance

-Food Safety & HACCP: Ensure all production strictly complies with the Somerset Larder Food Safety & Quality Management System (FSMS), HACCP principles, allergen controls, and relevant legislation.

-Hygiene & Equipment: Maintain clean work areas and ensure equipment across all sections is operated safely and cleaned correctly.

-Record Keeping: Complete all required food safety, temperature records and traceability records.

-Label Checking: Ensure labels are legible & accurate (date, allergens, ingredients)

Qualifications

-NVQ Level 2/3 in Professional Cookery (or equivalent experience)

-Food Safety Level 2 (or higher).

-Skills and Knowledge

-Culinary & Section Expertise

-Multi-Section Capability: Proven ability to run and manage all central production kitchen sections, including the Main Kitchen, Salad Room, Bakery, and Cold Rooms.

-Quality Assurance: Exceptional eye for detail in checking dish presentation, portion sizes, and adherence to spec sheets before dispatch.

-Dispatch Operations: Strong understanding of central distribution processes, ensuring orders are accurately picked, packed, temperature-controlled, and dispatched on schedule.

-Training Techniques: Ability to break down complex cooking methods and teach implementation of new dishes effectively to team members and apprentices.

-Food Safety, Hygiene & Compliance

-Food Safety Management: Deep working knowledge of HACCP, allergen control protocols, cross-contamination prevention, and food safety standards.

-Traceability & Auditing: Proficient in maintaining accurate food traceability records, temperature logs, and quality check documentation.

-Operational Efficiency

-Waste Management: Practical knowledge of waste control measures,

-Stock Control: Knowledge of raw material storage, goods-in verification, and rotation standards across frozen, ambient and chilled storage.

-Mentorship & Nurturing: Demonstrates patience, empathy, and clear guidance when training chefs and apprentices on new recipes, techniques, and kitchen section routines.

-Teamwork & Collaboration: works proactively alongside section team members to support production and maintain smooth kitchen workflow.

-Communication: Excellent verbal communication skills; effectively relays section updates, stock needs, and operational issues up to supervisors/management and updates staff.

-Adaptability & Resilience: Stays calm and structured under high-volume time pressures; adaptable to shift rotational needs across different kitchen areas.

-Positive Attitude: Brings a "can-do" approach to work, fostering pride, high morale, and togetherness within the central production team.

For this role you must have evidence of right to work in the UK. As a project, we do not discriminate on the grounds of age, gender, race, colour, religion, disability or sexual orientation, and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.