Chef Bank

The residents in our care home really relish meal times. Join us at Elizabeth Lodge as our head chef and cook up some great meals, and you’ll be the star of show at every meal time and enjoy some great benefits too.

Care UK is one of the UK’s leading providers of health and social care services. We’re looking for a Head Chef able to co-ordinate all aspects of kitchen life, from menu planning to hygiene, staff development to health and safety.

You’ll ensure your kitchen team pulls together to produce three meals a day and ad hoc orders to tight timings and the highest standards. You’ll also be responsible for stock ordering and regular kitchen audits and you’ll prepare and cost up menus for our regular social events. You’ll also enjoy getting out of the kitchen to talk to residents about their likes and dislikes to ensure these are being met.

You’ll have previous experience as a head chef in a high cover environment and understand the importance of creating nutritionally balanced menus for residents. You’ll have a catering diploma (City & Guilds/BTEC) plus health and safety and food hygiene certificates. Highly organized, you will be able to produce great results within a budget, and you’ll have a genuine desire to make residents happy.

Responsible To

Home Manager

Key Responsibilities

• To implement and supervise all aspects of kitchen control e.g. menus, hygiene, health and safety, staff, cleaning and waste control.
• To identify and recruit all grades of staff under your control within the agreed guidelines.
• To supervise and develop staff using the available company resources, to maximise their potential.
• To order catering consumables from current nominated suppliers in line with Company
Purchasing policy.
• To have full understanding of H.A.C.C.P, to ensure all staff adhere to H.A.C.C.P and all documentation are completed and sighed are by the appropriate members of staff
• To complete monthly audits for kitchen reporting any finding to home manager
• To prepare menus for the nursing home taking into account the content, balance, colour and nutritional values, inline with agreed budget.
• To consult with residents on a regular basis to ensure that their needs and choices are being met.
• To prepare special diets for residents as directed by the nursing staff.
• To maintain the agreed stock levels of food.
• To implement and maintain an agreed deep cleaning schedule for the kitchen.
• To carry out stock takes at the end of each month.
• To implement four weekly rota.
• To work within agreed budget guidelines on staff costs and consumables and to co-operate in any action necessary so as to keep to budget.
• To assist in the preparation of function menus and costing.
• To co-operate with requests from the Home Manager and residents wherever possible.
• To attend resident/relative meetings whenever possible.
• To carry out staff supervision adhering to home policies.
• To complete all staff personal development reviews.

Skills & Experience

• Significant Head Chef experience
• Significant and relevant high cover kitchen experience
• Day to day management of a kitchen team, including staff meetings
• Proven competency in nutritionally balanced menu planning
• Ability to cater for specific dietary needs
• Efficient ordering and record keeping
• Stock control
• Working within a budget
• Proven communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong organisational and planning skills

Qualifications

• GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and Maths
• Catering Diploma (City & Guilds/BTEC)
• Health and Safety and Food Hygiene Certificates

Additional Information

• This is a bank only position.
• Please note this position is in Enfield, Greater London and we are looking for candidates within a commutable distance to N21 1TG.