Are you passionate about food and ready to take your first step into the world of food manufacturing?
This is a fantastic opportunity to kick-start your culinary career as a Trainee Development Chef, working at the heart of innovation with one of the UK’s leading food producers.
We’re looking for someone with a genuine love for food, creativity, and curiosity — someone who wants to bring great-tasting ideas to life.
The Role
As a Trainee Development Chef, you’ll play a key role in turning culinary inspiration into real products that delight our customers. You’ll work closely with our Innovation and NPD teams to develop delicious, commercially viable recipes — learning how to balance creativity with technical and operational realities.
You’ll get hands-on experience across the entire product development journey — from concept and customer presentations to factory trials and launch — helping to create food that meets the highest standards of quality, value, and taste.
This could be your first role in food manufacturing — what matters most is your passion, ambition, and willingness to learn.
What You’ll Be Doing
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Working closely with our Innovation and NPD teams to deliver exciting new food concepts.
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Understanding customer and retailer strategies to create food that truly connects with their consumers.
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Supporting the full development process — from idea generation to product launch — ensuring all timelines, costs, and standards are met.
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Creating and managing product samples and presentations.
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Attending factory trials and learning how ideas come to life on the production line.
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Keeping up to date with food trends, ingredients, and techniques to inspire fresh innovation.
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Presenting your creations passionately and knowledgeably to internal teams and customers.
About You
We’re looking for someone who is:
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Passionate about food — curious, creative, and eager to learn.
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A strong communicator, able to work collaboratively with chefs, NPD teams, and commercial colleagues.
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Detail-oriented, understanding the importance of ingredients, process, and cost.
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Resilient and proactive, comfortable managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
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Excited to grow — this role will give you exposure to leading retailers, food innovation, and the inner workings of a major food manufacturer.
A culinary background or formal chef training would be an advantage, but we’ll provide full support and mentorship for the right person who shows passion, drive, and potential