We are an independent café set in a picturesque location, serving a vibrant, brunch-led menu to around 80 covers indoors and a further 80 outdoors. We pride ourselves on fresh, seasonal food and a welcoming atmosphere. We are looking for a hands-on Head of Kitchen to lead our kitchen team. This is a daytime-only role with good work-life balance, including two days off midweek, four weekends off per year, and Christmas closure. This is a key leadership position, responsible not just for excellent food, but also for the smooth and successful day-to-day running of the kitchen, with customer satisfaction always at the heart of what we do. Key Responsibilities * Lead from the front in delivering high-quality, fresh, and consistent food, at a fast pace, ensuring excellent presentation and timely service. * Take full ownership of the kitchen's performance, working in the best interests of the business to maximise profitability while maintaining an outstanding customer experience. * Create, cost, and develop seasonal menus, carefully managing gross margins and minimising waste. * Lead on allergens - maintain accurate and up-to-date allergen information and processes, ensuring both front and back of house teams are trained regularly. * Manage kitchen rotas in line with agreed labour budgets, ensuring appropriate staffing. * Recruit, train, and develop the kitchen team, maintaining high standards of food quality, consistency, and compliance with all relevant legislation. Carry out staff appraisals, performance management, and, where necessary, disciplinary procedures. * Build a strong, collaborative relationship with the Front of House team to ensure seamless service and a positive working environment. * Oversee kitchen ordering, deliveries, and stock control, including checking and processing supplier invoices accurately. * Implement and maintain effective cost controls: portioning, waste management, stock rotation. * Ensure the highest standards of food safety, health & safety, and cleanliness are consistently met, maintaining a 5* EHO rating at all times. * Oversee the maintenance and upkeep of all kitchen equipment and arrange for repairs as necessary * Complete all required documentation and ensure records are accurate and up to date. * Support the wider business with any additional duties within the scope of the role. About You You will be an experienced and organised head chef and kitchen leader with a passion for fresh, seasonal food and a strong understanding of brunch-led service. You'll be able to work at a fast pace and be equally comfortable leading a busy service, managing a team, and handling the administrative side of the kitchen, including EHO requirements, stock and invoices. A positive attitude, attention to detail, and a genuine love of food and hospitality are essential. Details of the role Kitchen working hours are below and additional hours would be expected on some days to complete office work, taking the total working hours up to 43 hours per week (excluding breaks of 30 mins per day): * Monday - 7.45am-4.45pm * Tuesday- 7.45am-4.45pm * Wednesday - Day off * Thursday - Day off * Friday- 7.45am-4.45pm * Saturday- 8am-5pm * Sunday - currently we are open one Sunday per month, but this will be changing to every Sunday soon, hours likely to be 9am-4pm on Sundays. Salary: £38k per annum plus gratuities, plus performance related-bonus Free parking, staff discount (including the shop) Blue Arrow is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to helping find great work opportunities for great people.