Senior Sous Chef

Estelle Manor is a rural retreat set on an 85-acre estate in Oxfordshire. The manor has four restaurants, a 3,000 sq metre Roman-inspired spa (Eynsham Baths), 108 bedrooms and a gym with class studios and padel courts. There’s a kids’ club and a workspace.

You will assist the Head Chef in managing all food-related quality and standards, food safety and health in the kitchen. You will take pride in ensuring all dishes leaving the kitchen meet standards, act as an engaging and inspirational trainer and coach to your brigade, and have a passion for delivering exceptional and memorable experiences for our members and guests.

The on target earning potential for this role is £50,000-£54,000 per annum OTE based on a 45 hour contract – comprising a base salary of £39,661 plus an estimated £12,000-£15,000 in gratuities and service charge.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting the Head Chef to oversee and manage the daily operations within the kitchen at our Glasshouse Restaurant.
• Delivering on the food concept vision and helping to develop innovative menu ideas, identifying new culinary opportunities within Estelle Manor.
• Updating briefs across departments on menu items, communicating provenance, allergens, nutritionals and other distinctive information.
• Overseeing budget and operations, assisting and engaging with the kitchen’s senior leadership team to manage all food health & safety standards.
• Standing in for the Head Chef in their absence and making managerial decisions within the kitchen, ultimately responsible for the quality of all items leaving the kitchen.

Who we are looking for:

• A team-oriented, positive, driven, organized and solution-focused leader.
• An inspiring leader who relishes training and mentoring the team.
• Excellent communication and training skills.
• Experience working across all kitchen sections.
• Experience managing daily operations, setup, standards and operating procedures.
• Ability to perform under pressure and deliver results to deadlines.
• Proactive, with initiative to explore issues and generate new ideas with creative thinking.
• Passionate about delivering exceptional guest experience with keen attention to detail.

What’s in it for you?

At Estelle, we prioritize your wellbeing and growth, offering a range of perks to enrich your experience. Enjoy exclusive staff rates, biannual socials, and Birthday Wheel surprises. Nurture your wellbeing with stocked colleague spaces and daily Smart Fridges. Engage in forums shaping The Estelle Way and utilise the provided uniforms and onsite seamstress support. You will be valued, supported, and celebrated.

We have a range of perks and benefits:

• Biannual company socials plus smaller social and sports groups.
• Exclusive staff rates and F&B discounts across sister properties.
• Estelleversary and Birthday Wheel gifting for all employees.
• Colleague spaces stocked with food, drinks and locally sourced coffee.
• Seasonal, daily stocked Smart Fridges with freshly prepared meals on shift.
• Pension, health cash plan and life assurance schemes.
• 28 days holiday, inclusive of bank holidays, increasing with length of service.
• Colleague Forums and Sustainability Committees to help shape The Estelle Way.
• Uniform provided, cleaned and pressed.
• Onsite seamstresses to ensure your uniform fits and can be repaired.

Gratuities (tips) are paid on a pro-rata basis regardless of role. In 2025, full-time employees can expect to receive around £9,000 in gratuities in addition to base salary.