Care Home Chef

Care Home Chef

Come and make a difference with the team at Burford House!

Are you a passionate Chef who loves creating delicious, nutritious meals and bringing a little joy to people’s day?

At Burford House Care Home, food is about so much more than what’s on the plate. From comforting favourites to delicious home-cooked meals, you’ll have the opportunity to create menus that our residents genuinely look forward to, while helping to make mealtimes a happy and sociable part of their day.

We’re looking for a caring, creative and enthusiastic Chef to join our friendly team. If you take pride in your cooking, enjoy working as part of a team and want a role where your skills can make a real difference to people’s lives, we’d love to hear from you.

Come and share your passion for great food with us at Burford House!

About the role

As a Chef at Burford House Care Home, you’ll play an important part in making mealtimes enjoyable, nutritious and something our residents can look forward to. You’ll use your skills and creativity to prepare fresh meals that reflect individual dietary needs and preferences, while helping to create a welcoming kitchen environment.

40 hours per week, across 4 days, including weekends

7.00am – 5.30pm

You’ll be responsible for:

• Preparing delicious and nutritious hot and cold meals for our residents, taking individual dietary requirements and preferences into consideration

• Supporting with the planning and preparation of seasonal menus

• Ensuring all food preparation and kitchen practices comply with Health & Safety policies and regulations

• Completing required kitchen checks, including recording fridge and food temperatures

• Maintaining a clean, safe and hygienic kitchen environment, including washing and clearing equipment

• Reporting any accidents, incidents or concerns to the Person-in-Charge

• Working as part of the wider care home team to ensure residents receive a positive mealtime experience

Why work at Westgate?

We want our team to feel valued, supported and rewarded for the important work they do. As part of Westgate Healthcare, you’ll have access to a range of benefits, including:

• Competitive pay rates, with enhanced pay on bank holidays

• Stream– access your wages before payday, plus financial wellbeing support and exclusive discounts at some of the UK’s favourite shops

• Blue Light Card and access to a range of other employee discount schemes

• Byond Prepayment Card, offering employee cashback

• Extras Discounts and Cycle to Work Scheme

• Refer a Friend Scheme – earn up to £500 for a successful referral

• Employee recognition schemes, including Employee of the Month and Long Service Awards

• Team-building activities and social events

• Support to achieve additional and nationally recognised qualifications

• Access to financial and wellbeing support through The Care Workers Charity

• A comprehensive staff induction, with free training and ongoing professional development

If you’re passionate about food, enjoy working with people and want to use your skills in a role where you can make a genuine difference to residents’ everyday lives, we’d love to hear from you.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once we receive suitable applications, so early submission is encouraged. Due to a high volume of applications, if you do not hear from us within 5 working days, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

Westgate Healthcare is an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of race, sex, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age.

WGHROB

About the company

We are Westgate Healthcare, a family-run care provider delivering award-winning residential, nursing and dementia care across the South East of England.

With over 20 years of experience, we focus on creating safe, supportive and welcoming environments for older people.

Our approach combines high clinical standards with genuine compassion, ensuring every resident receives personalised, dignified care

Required Criteria

• The right to live and work in the UK
• Previous experience in a similar role and setting (i.e. a care home or a school)
• Certificate Level II in Food Safety and Hygiene
• Knowledge of nutritional needs of older peopleHealth and Safety and regulatory requirements
• A positive and flexible attitude towards work and the ability to work well in a team

Skills you'll need

• Food Production
• HACCP/Food Safety Management Skills
• Teamworking