Head Chef

Job Title: Head Chef

Location: The Manor Preparatory School

Contract Type: Full Time, Term Time Only

Salary: £38,000 per annum (including holiday pay)

About the Role

We are seeking a passionate and experienced Head Chef to lead the culinary team at The Manor Preparatory School . This is an excellent opportunity for a strong food-led chef to create fresh, exciting menus and deliver exceptional dining experiences for pupils, staff, and visitors within a highly regarded independent school environment.

This is a term-time only role working 40 hours per week across 185 days per year, paid over 42.6 weeks including holiday pay. The salary is £38,000 per annum.

The school caters for approximately 365 pupils and 70 academic staff across Nursery, Pre-Prep, and Prep age groups. We are looking for a chef with a genuine passion for fresh food, simple well-executed menus, excellent presentation standards, and enthusiasm for theme days and pupil engagement activities.

You will lead a small and supportive kitchen team of 10, including a Pastry Chef and Commis Chef, within a collaborative and well-organised operation focused on quality and creativity.

You will be joining Holroyd Howe, one of the UK’s leading contract caterers, providing fresh innovative food services solely to independent schools and colleges. We are a team of experienced professionals who tailor our catering service provision specifically to suit children of all ages in order to meet the bespoke requirements of each school.

The safety and wellbeing of the people we serve is at the heart of everything we do. A key element is effective allergen management; achieved through training, communication, and care, we create mealtimes where every pupil has a safe experience. Our mission is simple: to provide our teams with the right skills to succeed in their job and our exceptional teams of seasoned specialists customise our catering services to fit children of all ages and satisfy the unique needs of our clients.

Responsibilities

Lead kitchen operations ensuring the highest standards of food quality, safety, and presentation; Create innovative and seasonal menus tailored to the school’s requirements; Manage kitchen staff recruitment, training, and development; Control budgets, stock, and supplier relationships efficiently; Ensure compliance with all food safety, health & safety, and safeguarding policies; Collaborate with the wider catering and school teams to deliver outstanding customer experiences; Accountability for following and championing allergen controls

Requirements

Ideally, you will have experience as an Executive Chef or Head Chef within a contract catering environment, preferably in independent education, or a high-profile business and industry setting.; Strong leadership and team management skills; Passionate about fresh, quality ingredients and innovative menus; Excellent organisational, communication, and financial management skills; Knowledge of current food trends, sustainability, and allergen control

Benefits

28 days holiday (including bank holidays); 3 volunteering days to give back to causes you care about; 3 days grandparent leave for those special family moments; 24 weeks enhanced maternity leave; Bespoke training & development opportunities; Pension & life insurance; Discounts on high street brands, cinema & holidays via the Perkbox App; Wellbeing hub & access to employee assistance programme; Free meals while at work; Career development through apprenticeships for all experience levels.