Head Chef - Care Home
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
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Working days and alternate weekends only, across 4/5 days a week
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Rewarding Excellence' bonus where you will be financially rewarded up to £500* for a Good or Outstanding CQC inspection
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Unlimited access to our Refer a Friend' scheme, earning up to £500* per referral
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Access to a wide range of retail and leisure discounts with big brands, supermarkets and travel companies
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Free access to medical specialists, who are on hand for a second opinion if you need it
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Confidential and free access to counselling and legal services
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Tax Code Review Service to check you're on the right code and paying the right level of tax
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Option to join our monthly staff lottery alongside your colleagues nationwide
Your Experience and Qualifications
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A personable and warm approach with a genuine interest in the wellbeing of residents
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Hold City & Guilds/NVQ/SVQ or equivalent
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Experience in leading, motivating and inspiring a team
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Experience of working with fresh seasonal food with a good understanding of nutrition
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The ability to create a warm and welcoming environment within our homes
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Confidence engaging with residents to create appetising and nutritious menus
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Experience working with a front of house team to ensure the restaurants are set up to a high standard
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Good understanding of HACCP and COSHH
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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
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Lead, motivate and inspire a team, develop and upskill where required
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Menu development, tailoring around residents to ensure we deliver person-centred hospitality
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Work with fresh produce to deliver high quality and wholesome dishes cooked of the highest standards
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Bake fresh cakes, scones and breads from scratch
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Assist the front of house team with setting up of the dining areas
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Work within budget, complete regular audits and stock control
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Create a warm, efficient and fun environment
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Ongoing recruitment and retention
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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
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Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your City & Guilds/NVQ qualification prominently as this is specifically required by Barchester
📊 Quantify your kitchen management experience: 'Led 8-person kitchen team, reducing food waste by 15%'
🌐 Emphasise HACCP and COSHH compliance experience as these are essential for care home catering
🎯 Showcase modified diet experience using IDDSI framework - this specialised skill is highly valued in care settings
🤝 Demonstrate person-centred approach by mentioning resident engagement and menu customisation experience
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Led 12-person kitchen team in 80-bed care facility, achieving Outstanding CQC rating and £500 excellence bonus through HACCP compliance
- •Developed 28-day rotating menu using IDDSI framework for modified diets, increasing resident satisfaction scores by 23%
- •Managed £8,400 monthly food budget whilst reducing waste by 18% through improved stock control and seasonal menu planning
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Barchester Healthcare. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Barchester Healthcare
Dear Hiring Manager,
Barchester Healthcare's commitment to delivering hotel-standard dining in care settings aligns perfectly with my culinary philosophy, which is why I am applying for the Head Chef position in Winchester. My City & Guilds qualification and extensive experience with HACCP compliance and fresh seasonal cooking make me well-suited to lead your kitchen team whilst developing person-centred menus for residents.
My background in team leadership and menu development, particularly working with modified diets and nutritional planning, has prepared me to take ownership of kitchen operations whilst maintaining the high standards Barchester is known for. I am particularly drawn to the opportunity to work with the Barchester Chef Academy to further develop both my skills and those of my team.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How do you implement HACCP principles in a care home kitchen environment?
- ›Explain your experience with IDDSI framework for modified diets
- ›How do you ensure COSHH compliance in daily kitchen operations?
- ›Describe your approach to menu development for elderly residents with dietary restrictions
- ›What systems do you use for stock control and budget management?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you motivated an underperforming team member
- ›Describe a situation where you had to adapt a menu for a resident's specific needs
- ›How do you handle pressure during busy meal service periods?
- ›Give an example of how you've improved kitchen efficiency in a previous role
- ›Describe a time you had to work within tight budget constraints
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you motivated an underperforming team member
Describe a situation where you had to adapt a menu for a resident's specific needs