Barchester Healthcare

Head Chef - Care Home

The closing date is 29 March 2026

Job summary

The Head Chef role at Barchester Care Homes offers a unique opportunity to combine your culinary expertise with a passion for providing high-quality, person-centered care. You'll have the chance to create delicious and nutritious menus, while also leading and developing a talented kitchen team. With a focus on work-life balance, this role provides the chance to deliver exceptional hospitality standards without the long hours and split shifts often associated with the industry.

Main duties of the job

As the Head Chef at Barchester, you will be responsible for leading, motivating, and inspiring a dedicated kitchen team to deliver exceptional dining experiences for our residents. You'll have the autonomy to develop nutritious and flavoursome menus, using fresh, seasonal produce. Your role will also involve managing the performance of the kitchen and front-of-house staff, as well as overseeing budgets, audits, and stock control. You'll create a warm, efficient, and fun environment, ensuring the dining areas are set up to the highest standard.

About us

Barchester is a leading provider of high-quality care and support services in the UK. With a commitment to delivering exceptional care, the company operates a network of care homes and hospitals across the country. Barchester is known for its focus on creating a positive and enriching environment for both residents and staff, with a strong emphasis on personal development and career progression.

Details

Date posted

29 January 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£38,000 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

1457217050

Job locations

https://jobs.barchester.com/

Odiham

RG29 1GJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • You'll need to hold a relevant culinary qualification, such as City & Guilds, NVQ, or SVQ. Experience in leading and motivating a team, working with fresh, seasonal ingredients, and a good understanding of HACCP and COSHH are also essential. Knowledge of modified diets using the IDDSI framework is desirable, but training can be provided.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • You'll need to hold a relevant culinary qualification, such as City & Guilds, NVQ, or SVQ. Experience in leading and motivating a team, working with fresh, seasonal ingredients, and a good understanding of HACCP and COSHH are also essential. Knowledge of modified diets using the IDDSI framework is desirable, but training can be provided.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Barchester Healthcare

Address

https://jobs.barchester.com/

Odiham

RG29 1GJ


Employer's website

https://www.barchester.com/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Barchester Healthcare

Address

https://jobs.barchester.com/

Odiham

RG29 1GJ


Employer's website

https://www.barchester.com/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Recruitment Team

https://jobs.barchester.com/

Recruitment@barchester.com

Details

Date posted

29 January 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£38,000 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

1457217050

Job locations

https://jobs.barchester.com/

Odiham

RG29 1GJ


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