Profile

Full Time sous chef required to work with the Head Chef, helping lead and develop food and beverage delivery across all aspects of a beautiful Estate: restaurant, coffee shop food, estate guest food (spa and accommodation), as well as private and corporate events. This is an exciting position, working in a stunning location with the emphasis on exceptional service across the estate. 

This is not a single kitchen role as the sous chef will be working across multiple spaces and service styles on any given week, supporting the Head Chef in running a kitchen that must flex between events, intimate in-house dining for house guests, day-to-day coffee shop/restaurant service, and spa food.

Location is the Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire border close to Sandy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deputise for the Head Chef, running service in their absence and stepping up across all estate venues
• Lead and mentor freelance chefs, kitchen assistants and kitchen porters
• Maintain food hygiene, health & safety, and allergen standards to the level expected of a premium events venue
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• Assist in writing menus and developing and costing menu items, with careful consideration of what is grown on the estate and local suppliers
• Adapt prep, plating and service logistics to the venue in use, walled garden, lakeside, amphitheatre or the main house,  each of which demands a different setup
• Coordinate with front-of-house and events teams
• Support stock control, ordering and portion control to help protect GP across variable, event-driven volumes
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• Assist in tracking food costs across multiple concurrent events and adjusting as needed
• Contribute to supplier relationships, sourcing locally where possible given the estate’s Cambridgeshire setting
• Work a seasonal rhythm, significantly busier spring through autumn, with different demands in quieter winter months
• Comfortable moving between structured indoor kitchen service and more mobile, outdoor catering setups
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Requirements:

• Proven experience in a high-end restaurant or events setting
• Ability to lead a kitchen independently under pressure
• Experience with both fine dining-standard plated service and larger banqueting-style catering
• A flexible, hands-on approach, no two days are the same across the estate’s varied spaces
• Someone with experience or a desire to learn to cook over open flame. The estate uses and is an official distributor of both the OFYR and BSTRD BBQs
• Full UK driving licence is useful given the site’s rural location
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What will be offered:

• £35,000 per annum or £16.82/hour with accommodation offered
• Complimentary coffee
• 50% off food
• 15% off membership, wild swimming, spa, alcohol and retail items
• Access to the estate grounds, gym and padel courts
• Training and development opportunities
• The chance to work across one of Cambridgeshire’s most distinctive events settings and a genuine up-and-coming food and beverage destination
• On-site accommodation available in the form of a self-contained flat