Head Chef | Luxury Five-Star Resort | Hertfordshire

Salary: Competitive, depending on experience | Full-time position

Are you a talented Head Chef who combines excellent cooking skills with the leadership to run a quality restaurant kitchen?

COREcruitment is working with one of Hertfordshire’s leading luxury resorts to recruit a Head Chef for one of its established restaurant operations.

Set within 300 acres of beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, this five-star destination offers a distinctive working environment, with a strong focus on quality food, seasonal British produce and ingredients sourced from local suppliers and the resort’s own kitchen garden.

We’re looking for a chef who cares about the food as much as the numbers.

Someone who can lead a team, deliver consistent standards and bring creativity to an established food offering.

This is an all-day restaurant operation serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

With a focus on seasonal British cooking and quality ingredients, the restaurant offers an opportunity to lead a dedicated kitchen team within a well-established luxury hospitality business.

Reporting into the senior culinary team, you’ll take ownership of the kitchen’s food quality, team development and commercial performance.

Your responsibilities will include:

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  Leading, developing and motivating a kitchen team of approximately 13 chefs.

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  Maintaining high standards of cooking, presentation and consistency across breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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  Developing seasonal menus that showcase British produce and reflect the restaurant’s identity.

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  Working closely with local suppliers and the resort’s kitchen garden team.

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  Managing food costs, gross profit, purchasing, stock control and waste.

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  Planning rotas and deploying the kitchen team effectively.

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  Maintaining excellent food safety, hygiene and allergen standards.

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  Training and developing your team, building a positive culture and retaining good people.

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  Working closely with the General Manager, Executive Head Chef and Culinary Director to improve standards and performance.

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  Bringing fresh ideas and creativity while maintaining consistency and commercial awareness.

We’re looking for a Head Chef with a strong culinary background who can demonstrate both excellent cooking ability and sound kitchen management.

You’ll ideally have:

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  Experience as a Head Chef or a strong Senior Sous Chef ready to take the next step.

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  A background in quality restaurants, hotels or substantial food-led operations.

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  Strong à la carte cooking skills and a genuine interest in seasonal British food.

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  The creativity to develop dishes while maintaining consistency and profitability.

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  Experience managing a sizeable team and delivering across busy services.

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  A good understanding of kitchen financials, including food GP, labour costs, ordering and stock management.

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  The ability to lead, motivate and develop a team.

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  A stable employment history and a genuine interest in developing with a business over the longer term.

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  A hands-on approach and the confidence to lead from the front.

Rosette experience would be welcome, but it isn’t the deciding factor.

We’re interested in your cooking ability, creativity, leadership and long-term potential.

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  A competitive salary, depending on experience.

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  The opportunity to work within a five-star luxury resort.

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  A well-established restaurant operation with a dedicated kitchen team.

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  Access to quality British produce and ingredients from the resort’s own kitchen garden.

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  Support from an experienced Executive Head Chef and Culinary Director.

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  The opportunity to make your mark on the food offering and develop your team.

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  A beautiful countryside setting within easy reach of Watford and the wider Hertfordshire area.

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  Free staff parking and a shuttle bus from Watford town centre.

You’ll need reliable transport arrangements to accommodate a variety of early and late shifts.

Staff accommodation is limited, although individual availability can be discussed.

If you’re an ambitious Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef who combines quality cooking with strong commercial management, we’d love to hear from you.

Send your CV to COREcruitment, along with a short introduction outlining your culinary background, leadership experience and what you could bring to this opportunity.