Job Overview
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust's Catering Services are looking for a
passionate and skilled Chef
to join our dedicated team. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who takes pride in producing delicious, traditional, homemade meals using fresh, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.
Based in our large Retail kitchen, you will play a key role in preparing nutritious and appetising food for both patients and staff. With a strong emphasis on quality, sustainability and care, your work will directly impact the wellbeing and recovery of our patients – as well as the morale of our hardworking NHS colleagues.
This role is 30 hours per week, working on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Main duties of the job
* Preparing and cooking a variety of dishes using fresh ingredients, following NHS recipe standards and menu plans.
* Presenting meals attractively and ensuring proper portion control.
* Catering for dietary requirements and special diets in liaison with senior chefs.
* Supporting occasional function and hospitality catering as needed.
* Maintaining the highest hygiene and food safety standards in line with legislation and Trust policy.
* Assisting with stock control, storage, temperature checks, and kitchen cleanliness.
* Contributing to menu development and improving patient and staff meal offerings
What We're Looking For
* Proven experience in a chef role within a quality-focused kitchen environment.
* A genuine passion for food, presentation, and delivering excellence.
* Ability to work effectively under pressure in a busy kitchen setting.
* Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
* Awareness of current food hygiene regulations and best practices.
Working for our organisation
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.
Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.
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Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Please refer to the full Job Description and Person Specification for further details.
Please note sponsorship is not provided for this role
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* City & Guilds 706/1 and 2 or NVQ equivalent
* Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene
Desirable criteria
* Intermediate Certificate in Food Hygiene
* Knowledge of HACCP
Experience
Essential criteria
* Career structure that shows a logical progression to a chef position in a similar size and/or NHS catering operation
* Experience of working in a service led and customer focused environment
Desirable criteria
* Experience with both the commercial food service sector and/or an NHS catering operation
Skills
Essential criteria
* Good command of written English
* Ability to work efficiently and to time
* Organised and methodical
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values –
Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future
, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.
We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.
We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.
Alongside estates' investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.
Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.
Apply online now