Why join Meldrum House Hotel?
Meldrum House is a place where heritage, luxury, and innovation come together. We are reimagining and elevating all of our dining outlets across the estate, presenting a rare and prestigious opportunity for an Executive Head Chef to join at inception and shape a distinctive, signature culinary identity from the ground up.
Set within 240 acres of beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside, we proudly showcase the very best of Scottish food, drink, scenery, and warm hospitality. Guests join us for our award‑winning, locally sourced cuisine, our 800‑year‑old Cave Bar with over 120 whiskies, our contemporary luxury dining domes, and our exceptional golf course, ranked among Scotland’s top 100.
This is a rare opportunity to shape a distinctive culinary identity across a multi‑outlet luxury estate, leading from the front and creating memorable dining experiences that reflect the character and ambition of Meldrum House.
The Role
As Executive Head Chef, you will own the culinary vision and execution across all dining outlets, including our signature restaurant, bar, dining domes, conference & banqueting, and golf catering. You will lead a talented brigade, champion innovation, and deliver consistently exceptional food quality, presentation, and service.
You will also:
* Design, develop, and seasonally update menus that balance creativity, guest appeal, operational efficiency, and margin targets.
* Champion provenance, sustainability, and trend‑led concepts while maintaining brand consistency.
* Lead full kitchen operations, ensuring excellence in quality, speed, and consistency across all outlets.
* Collaborate closely with the Group Executive Chef, General Manager, and F&B teams to align culinary strategy with brand standards.
* Own food cost %, GP, labour %, stock control, ordering, recipe management, and wastage reduction.
* Engineer menus and commercial initiatives that drive revenue, profitability, and guest satisfaction.
* Deliver end‑to‑end culinary excellence for weddings, conferences, corporate events, golf days, and seasonal activations.
* Build and inspire a high‑performing kitchen team with strong culture, training, development, and succession planning.
* Ensure full compliance with Health & Safety, Food Safety, allergen management, and internal audit standards.
* Champion sustainability through local sourcing, seasonal menus, waste reduction, and energy‑aware production.
About You
You will be an accomplished and inspiring culinary leader with the drive to shape something exceptional. You bring:
* Proven experience as an Executive Head Chef within a luxury 4‑ or 5‑star hotel environment.
* Strong financial acumen and experience managing budgets, KPIs, and cost controls.
* Expertise in menu development, food trends, and concept creation.
* Excellent leadership, communication, and team‑building skills.
* Formal culinary training and food safety certification.
* A growth mindset, adaptability, and a passion for continuous improvement.
* Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
* A creative, analytical approach to problem‑solving and decision‑making.
Meldrum House is part of the Apex Hotels Group, an innovative, thriving business and we want you to be part of our exciting journey. You’ll meet great people, have fun at work, develop new friendships, learn new skills, and of course you will also receive a competitive rate of pay and a generous range of employee benefits which includes:
* 35 days holiday
* Training and development from day one
* Employee events and celebrations
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* Access to our interactive employee communication app
* Healthy meals while on duty
* External Employee Assistance Programme
* Financial Wellbeing App with early pay access
* Pension contributions
After your first 3 months, you’ll also enjoy
* Access to our “Treat Yourself Here” discounts and wellbeing platform
* Participation in employee recognition schemes
* Long‑service recognition
* Complimentary overnight stay and dinner for two on passing probation and on each annual anniversary
* 50% discount in our restaurants
* Cycle to Work Scheme
* Discounted room rates for you, friends, and family
* Spa treatment and product discounts
* Life Assurance cover
Please note: This role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Candidates with existing Skilled Worker status granted before 22 July 2025 may still qualify.
If this sounds like the next step in your culinary journey, click apply. We look forward to hearing from you.
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