Vacancies - Sous Chef

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a real difference? Come and join our highly professional team on the beautiful Highgrove Estate and help uphold Highgrove Gardens’ reputation for excellent food and overall visitor experience.

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Location: Orchard Room Restaurant, Highgrove Estate
Department: Catering
Reports to: Head Chef
Salary: TBC
Contract: Permanent, full-time

Working at Highgrove

When the Gardens at Highgrove open to the public each year, nearly 40,000 people come to visit. As part of our welcoming and highly professional Estate team, you'll make their experience special. This is a real chance to make a lasting impression and inspire our visitors to Highgrove.

Visitors can enjoy the hospitality offered in the Orchard Room. When the estate is open to the public, visitors with tour tickets can dine in the Orchard Room Restaurant, an elegant, table-serviced dining room with views of the Orchard Terrace. The restaurant offers a selection of meals and refreshments. Additionally, visitors can dine in the Orchard Room's private dining room, where private lunches are available for small groups.

What you'll be doing

The Sous Chef will be responsible for assisting the Head Chef in the day-to-day running of the kitchen. You will organise and lead the kitchen team to deliver fast and efficient food service. Alongside the rest of the team, the Sous Chef will aim to uphold Highgrove’s reputation for excellent food and overall visitor experience.

Your passion will be for fresh, seasonal, and local produce, and you will assist in preparing menus that align with Highgrove principles. Working closely with the Head Chef, you will have a hands-on approach and a proactive and personable attitude. You will need experience working in a position within a high-profile, busy environment and managing a team. A high degree of confidentiality and discretion is essential.

What you'll need

Essential:

  • A team player with reliability and good time management skills
  • Experience of working in a position within a high-profile, busy environment
  • Some experience of managing a team
  • Menu budget management experience
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Flexible and pro-active approach
  • Proven ability to remain calm when working under considerable pressure
  • A sense of humour and an even temperament
  • A high degree of confidentiality and discretion
  • A willing desire to be developed within the business
  • Smart, professional appearance

    Hours of work

    • 40 hours per week (but more at busy times)—five days a week, worked over a seven-day period, to include weekends and some evenings.

    If you would like to apply, select 'Apply Now' above and send your CV (stating 'Sous Chef Vacancy' as the subject line) together with information on the skills and experience you will bring as soon as possible.

    View and download job description

    Highgrove Gardens

    Highgrove Gardens is a highly renowned garden, described as one of the most inspiring and innovative gardens in the UK. Since 1980, the gardens have been managed organically and include a variety of garden features and areas, including a walled kitchen garden, a thyme walk, topiary and hedging, a terrace garden, a cottage garden, wildflower meadows, island beds, an arboretum, a woodland garden, and various water features.

    The King's Foundation

    The King’s Foundation is a charity founded by King Charles III and was first formed in 1990. Inspired by the vision and values of His Majesty, the Foundation focuses on creating better communities where people, places and the planet can coexist in harmony.

    The charity offers education courses for over 15,000 students annually, health and wellbeing programmes for nearly 2,000 people every year, and spearheads placemaking and regeneration projects in the UK and overseas to revitalise communities and historic buildings.

    The King’s Foundation is headquartered at its flagship regeneration project, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, and acts as custodian of other historic Royal sites including the Castle of Mey in Caithness, Scotland, and Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire, which are open to visitors. The Foundation also carries out its work at educational and cultural hubs in London, based at The King’s Foundation School for Traditional Arts in Shoreditch, Trinity Buoy Wharf on the River Thames and the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea.

    The work of The King’s Foundation is underpinned by our Founder His Majesty The King’s philosophy of harmony: that by understanding the balance, the order and the relationships between ourselves and the natural world we can create a more sustainable future. We have a diverse and inclusive workplace, creating a welcoming, safe space for everyone. This means that every member of our team can bring their whole self to work. We encourage qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply to and join The King’s Foundation and bring their valuable skills and experiences.

    The Foundation is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees, including the provision of workplace adjustments. We do not tolerate discrimination based on protected characteristics (age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership) or other differences such as socio-economic background or social origin.