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⚡ Source: ReedRef: 56888662

Head Chef - Care Home

Barchester Healthcare·Cheshire West and Chester, North West·Posted 2 weeks ago
💰 £34k/year
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Job description

Original text imported from Reed

Are you a passionate and qualified Chef looking for a better work life balance? If you are keen to be part of a company that is driven by quality and high standards, Barchester is the place to be!

Your Benefits and Rewards

  • Working days and alternate weekends only, across 4/5 days a week

  • Rewarding Excellence' bonus where you will be financially rewarded up to £500* for a Good or Outstanding CQC inspection

  • Unlimited access to our Refer a Friend' scheme, earning up to £500* per referral

  • Access to a wide range of retail and leisure discounts with big brands, supermarkets and travel companies

  • Free access to medical specialists, who are on hand for a second opinion if you need it

  • Confidential and free access to counselling and legal services

  • Tax Code Review Service to check you're on the right code and paying the right level of tax

  • Option to join our monthly staff lottery alongside your colleagues nationwide

Your Experience and Qualifications

  • A personable and warm approach with a genuine interest in the wellbeing of residents

  • Hold City & Guilds/NVQ/SVQ or equivalent

  • Experience in leading, motivating and inspiring a team

  • Experience of working with fresh seasonal food with a good understanding of nutrition

  • The ability to create a warm and welcoming environment within our homes

  • Confidence engaging with residents to create appetising and nutritious menus

  • Experience working with a front of house team to ensure the restaurants are set up to a high standard

  • Good understanding of HACCP and COSHH

  • Knowledge around modified diets using the IDDSI framework (If new to care, we will train and develop chefs on these techniques)

Your Role and Responsibilities

  • Lead, motivate and inspire a team, develop and upskill where required

  • Menu development, tailoring around residents to ensure we deliver person-centred hospitality

  • Work with fresh produce to deliver high quality and wholesome dishes cooked of the highest standards

  • Bake fresh cakes, scones and breads from scratch

  • Assist the front of house team with setting up of the dining areas

  • Work within budget, complete regular audits and stock control

  • Create a warm, efficient and fun environment

  • Ongoing recruitment and retention

  • Managing the performance of the kitchen team and front of house

As a Head Chef at Barchester, you will have the chance to deliver hotel/restaurant standards without the split shifts and long hours. Our chefs have full autonomy in creating nutritious, flavoursome and well balanced menus, whilst also taking ownership of their kitchen and ongoing team development.

We are exceptionally proud of our Barchester Chef Academy, where chefs have the opportunity to learn new techniques and further develop their skills, whilst also sharing their knowledge to support the growth of others across the business. This fantastic academy experience is held throughout the year and is offered to all of our chefs.

Our internal Learning and Development team also offer industry recognised apprenticeships and further qualifications to chefs and hospitality team members who are looking to build upon and/or develop their skills.

Interested? If you are a motivated and dedicated chef who is ready to be part of something special, apply today!

*Terms & conditions apply


3231


SpeedCV AI

Key skills

AI-extracted from the job advert

Must-have skills
City & Guilds qualificationNVQ Level 3Team leadership experienceFresh seasonal food preparationHACCP knowledgeCOSHH compliance
Nice-to-have
IDDSI framework experienceCare home cateringModified diet preparationCQC standards knowledge
Soft skills
LeadershipTeam motivationCommunicationAutonomyProblem solvingAdaptabilityAttention to detail
SpeedCV AI

Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

1

⭐ Highlight your City & Guilds/NVQ qualification prominently as this is explicitly required for the Head Chef position

2

📊 Quantify your kitchen management experience: 'Led 8-person kitchen team, reducing food waste by 15%'

3

🍽️ Emphasise any care home or healthcare catering experience, particularly with modified diets and IDDSI framework

4

🎯 Showcase your menu development skills with person-centred approach, mentioning resident engagement and nutritional planning

5

🤝 Demonstrate your understanding of CQC standards and quality compliance in healthcare settings

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Suggested CV bullets

3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.

How to tailor your CV

Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:

  • Led 6-person kitchen team in care home environment, achieving 98% resident satisfaction scores and CQC 'Good' rating
  • Developed 28-day rotating menu incorporating IDDSI framework guidelines, reducing food waste by 22% while maintaining nutritional standards
  • Implemented HACCP procedures and staff training programme, achieving zero food safety incidents across 18-month period

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Letter preview — tailored to Barchester Healthcare

Dear Hiring Manager,

Barchester Healthcare's commitment to delivering hotel-standard dining in care homes aligns perfectly with my culinary expertise and passion for resident wellbeing. With my City & Guilds qualification and extensive experience in fresh food preparation and HACCP compliance, I am well-positioned to excel as your Head Chef in Cheshire West.

My background in team leadership and menu development has equipped me with the skills to create nutritious, person-centred menus whilst managing kitchen operations efficiently. I am particularly drawn to the opportunity to work with the IDDSI framework and develop my expertise in modified diets for elderly residents.

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SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • How would you implement HACCP procedures in a care home kitchen environment?
  • Explain your experience with the IDDSI framework for modified diets
  • How do you ensure nutritional requirements are met for elderly residents?
  • Describe your approach to menu development for care home residents
  • What food safety auditing processes would you establish?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you had to motivate an underperforming kitchen team member
  • Describe a situation where you had to work within a tight budget while maintaining food quality
  • How do you handle feedback from residents about meal preferences?
  • Give an example of when you had to adapt quickly to changing dietary requirements
  • Tell me about a time you improved efficiency in a kitchen operation
SpeedCV AINEW

STAR answer examples

Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.

1Question

Tell me about a time you had to motivate an underperforming kitchen team member

When I noticed one of our sous chefs consistently arriving late and producing inconsistent food quality, I arranged a private meeting to understand the underlying issues. I discovered they were struggling with childcare arrangements and feeling overwhelmed by new menu requirements. I worked with them to adjust their shift pattern by 30 minutes and provided additional training on our seasonal menu items over 2 weeks. I also paired them with our most experienced chef for mentoring. Within a month, their punctuality improved to 100% and food quality scores increased from 72% to 94%, ultimately leading to their promotion to senior sous chef.
2Question

Describe a situation where you had to work within a tight budget while maintaining food quality

During a period when our food budget was reduced by 15% due to funding constraints, I needed to maintain our high dining standards for 85 residents. I analysed our purchasing patterns and identified that we were buying premium ingredients that residents couldn't fully appreciate due to dietary restrictions. I negotiated with 3 local suppliers to source seasonal vegetables directly, reducing costs by 18% while improving freshness. I also redesigned our menu to feature more cost-effective proteins like slow-cooked cuts that became tender and flavourful. The result was a 12% reduction in food costs while maintaining our 96% resident satisfaction score and achieving a CQC 'Good' rating.

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