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- Tasks: Lead the creation of delicious puddings and desserts with a creative touch.
- Company: Join a family-owned B Corp that values quality and community.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, free food, discounts, and paid breaks.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on dessert innovation while honing your culinary skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in pastry and dessert development is essential.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 60000 £ per year.
Location: Ilminster - Somerset
Hours: Monday to Friday 7.45am – 4pm
Pay rate: £55,000 - £60,000 depending on experience
Purpose
To collaboratively lead the development process for our puddings range — bringing technical skill, care and creativity to recipes that are generous, balanced and built to work beautifully from development kitchen to production. This is a skilled development kitchen role for an experienced chef or NPD manager with a strong grounding in puddings, baking and pastry. Working closely with the Food team and Development Chefs, to create briefs you’ll take ownership of cooking, creating, refining dessert recipes — from sponges, crumbles puddings to pastry cases, custards, creams, sauces and chilled RTE desserts. You’ll contribute ideas, problem-solve technically and operationally, and help ensure puddings deliver on flavour, texture and consistency at scale, without losing their handmade feel. Alongside cooking, you’ll help maintain the smooth running of the development kitchen and uphold COOK’s high standards for quality, organisation and food safety.
What you’ll be doing
- Collaborate with food team on product briefs that deliver the right products for customer and COOK.
- Confidently execute a wide range of dessert techniques including sponge mixing, pastry making, blind baking, custards, creams, sauces, compotes and set desserts and use this knowledge to refine the briefs.
- Support the development and refinement of recipes through tasting, iteration and technical adjustment (texture, structure, bake, sweetness, balance).
- Lead and scale the recipes with the puddings team to ensure the products deliver on taste as well as yield and commercials.
- Prepare and submit all samples for the gated sign off process.
- Work with the puddings kitchen team to optimise the production process and improve margins, ensuring repeatability and robustness of the recipes.
- Lead EPD projects across our existing range.
Development Kitchen & Collaboration
- Working with Development Chefs the wider Food Team & Puddings team to deliver new pudding ideas on time and to brief.
- Collect, label and manage raw material samples and finished pudding samples for sign-off, photography, shelf-life and nutritional testing.
- Contribute ideas and solutions during development discussions, bringing practical pastry and dessert knowledge to the table.
Food Safety, Quality & Organisation
- Maintain excellent standards of food safety, hygiene and allergen control at all times.
- Keep the development kitchen clean, organised and calm, setting a strong example in day-to-day working practices.
- Manage ingredient stock and sample storage carefully, ensuring correct labelling, dating and FIFO.
- Support freezer and sample management to ensure clarity and traceability.
- Ensure all scale up trials are completed in full through tastings, yields and labour timings.
Learning, Growth & Craft
- Continue to develop technical pastry and pudding skills, keeping curiosity and care at the heart of your cooking.
- Build a strong understanding of COOK recipe standards, ingredient sourcing and quality expectations.
- Take and give feedback constructively, supporting a collaborative and thoughtful development culture.
If you tick most of these boxes but not all—don’t stress. We’re all about potential.
What Cook is About
We’re a proudly independent, family-owned B Corp, which basically means we care. A lot. About our food. About our people. And about doing the right thing—even when it’s not the easy thing.
Other bits
- Excellent Benefits including paid breaks, free food, CookieJar Smart Spending discounts on leading brands, profit share, 30% staff discount, birthdays off and much more.
Our vision for COOK has always been that we are a place where EVERYONE is welcome. We want everyone to feel like they belong at COOK. We all have different roles, different abilities and different personalities. By collaborating we can do remarkable things. Whatever your story, if you would like to grow with COOK please apply.
Pastry Development Chef in Somerset employer: Cook Trading Limited
Contact Detail:
Cook Trading Limited Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Pastry Development Chef in Somerset
✨Tip Number 1
Get your hands dirty! If you can, try to get some practical experience in a development kitchen. This will not only boost your skills but also show potential employers that you're serious about the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Attend food industry events or workshops where you can meet other chefs and professionals. Building connections can lead to job opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your creativity! When you’re at interviews, don’t just talk about your experience—bring along a portfolio of your best recipes or even a few samples. Let your work speak for itself!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing passionate candidates who are eager to join our team. Make sure to highlight your unique skills and experiences that align with our values at COOK.
We think you need these skills to ace Pastry Development Chef in Somerset
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Pastry: When you're writing your application, let your love for pastry and puddings shine through! Share your experiences and what excites you about creating desserts. We want to see your creativity and technical skills in action.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your skills align with the role. Mention specific techniques you excel at, like sponge mixing or pastry making, and how they relate to our puddings range. This helps us see you as a perfect fit!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to describe your experience and achievements. We appreciate a well-structured application that makes it easy for us to understand your background and expertise.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at COOK!
How to prepare for a job interview at Cook Trading Limited
✨Know Your Pastry Techniques
Brush up on your pastry skills and techniques before the interview. Be ready to discuss specific methods you've used in past roles, like sponge mixing or blind baking. This will show your technical expertise and passion for puddings.
✨Bring Your Creativity
Prepare to share some innovative dessert ideas that align with the company's vision. Think about how you can bring a unique twist to traditional recipes, and be ready to discuss how you would refine these ideas through tasting and iteration.
✨Showcase Your Collaboration Skills
Since this role involves working closely with various teams, be prepared to talk about your experience in collaborative environments. Share examples of how you've contributed to team projects and problem-solving discussions in the kitchen.
✨Emphasise Food Safety and Quality
Highlight your commitment to food safety and hygiene standards. Discuss any relevant experiences where you maintained high-quality practices in the kitchen, as this is crucial for the role and shows you take these responsibilities seriously.