Kitchen Manager - Worcester

Job Title: Head Cook / Kitchen Manager
Establishment: Care Home
Location: Worcester
Salary: £28,000 to £30,000 per annum
Hours: Full-Time (37 hours per week)

*** Due to the location of the role, access to your own transport is essential ***

Job Summary:

Pineapple Recruitment are seeking an experienced and passionate Head Cook / Kitchen Manager to join our client’s specialist care facility. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a dedicated catering team, providing high-quality, nutritious, home-cooked meals for patients, staff, and visitors. You will oversee all aspects of kitchen management, ensuring compliance with food safety standards, managing budgets, and fostering a positive team environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• To cook healthy meals including breakfast, lunch and supper for 40-45 people.
• Menu Planning to avoid waste
• To supervise the Kitchen Assistants for all cleaning, storage and food preparation tasks as required on the shift
• To provide supervision, leadership and guidance to the kitchen Team including 2 cooks and 2 kitchen assistants to maintain high standards of hygiene and practice in the kitchen
• To ensure that all food is properly stored and labelled
• To prepare meals to suit diabetic diets or fortified diets as necessary
• To prepare cakes and desserts in-house wherever possible
• To order food from our Food Suppliers to ensure that the set menus can be fulfilled each week or more frequently if required
• To ensure that the kitchen and all equipment and areas are maintained at the highest hygiene standards
• To carry out regular stock takes of the food and other comestibles, at least monthly
• To report to the Manager and liaise with her and the Nursing Team to ensure that all job requirements are being met
• To carry out Kitchen Audits as per the Quality Assurance Policies of the Care Home
• To interact with the Residents and their relatives and obtain feedback and suggestions of menus etc
• To complete daily, weekly and monthly Safer Food Better Business records and to ensure that the kitchen staff team is doing the same

Skills and Attributes:

• Experience of working as a Head Cook in a Care or Nursing Home setting or similar environment for e.g. in a Hospice or Hospital setting
• Full understanding of Allergens
• Must have a clean UK driving Licence
• Passion for delivering homemade meals using fresh, high-quality ingredients.
• Recognised qualification in Professional Cookery or Catering Management (e.g., City & Guilds or NVQ Level 3).
• Strong knowledge of food safety, allergen management, and health & safety regulations.
• Financial acumen with experience in budget management and menu costing.
• Strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.
• Ability to mentor and train staff to enhance team performance.

What You Will Gain:

• Satisfaction of working within a dedicated, caring team.
• A rewarding role providing meals that make a difference.
• Opportunities for personal and professional development.

Benefits:

• Tailored training and development opportunities.
• Access to a healthcare discount scheme and an employee assistance programme.
• Pension scheme (NHS transferable subject to eligibility).
• Free parking (on-site or nearby) and subsidised bus travel.
• Uniform provided.

Apply Today!

If you are a dedicated Head Cook / Kitchen Manager with a passion for providing high-quality meals in a caring environment, we encourage you to apply.

Pineapple Recruitment is recruiting for this role on behalf of our client and is acting as a Recruitment Agency.