Lead Chef

🌿 Lead Chef – Tingley Garden Centre 🌿

Cook up something special in a vibrant, customer‑focused environment

Are you an experienced chef who loves leading a team as much as creating great food? Do you thrive on consistency, high standards and developing others? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Tingley Garden Centre is looking for a Lead Chef to take ownership of our kitchen operation and help deliver a fresh, high‑quality food offering our customers return for time and time again.

🍽️ The Role

As Lead Chef, you’ll be at the heart of our kitchen, leading food production and inspiring your team to deliver excellence every day. You’ll work closely with the Catering Manager to drive standards, consistency and continuous improvement.

🔪 What You’ll Be Responsible For

• Leading all food production in line with menu specifications (Kafoodle), food safety and company standards
• Managing stock control, ordering, deliveries (signed for and checked) and minimising wastage
• Motivating, developing and coaching the kitchen team to run an efficient, effective operation
• Ensuring outstanding consistency in presentation, quality, portion control and value
• Championing food hygiene, EHO standards, allergen compliance and health & safety
• Making sure date checks, temperature checks and stock rotation are completed to plan
• Supporting rota planning and wage control in the absence of the Catering Manager
• Recruiting, training and developing talent to support succession planning
• Supporting team probations, coaching sessions and appraisals
• Acting as a role model and Ambassador for our Values and Behaviours

🌟 What We’re Looking For

• A confident, hands‑on chef with strong leadership experience
• Passion for food quality, standards and customer satisfaction
• Excellent organisational and communication skills
• Strong knowledge of food safety, allergens and compliance
• A positive, motivational leadership style with a “lead from the front” attitude

Why Join Our GREAT Garden Centre Team?

🌿 A GREAT Place to Work – Friendly, supportive, and full of team spirit.

⏰ Work-Life Balance – All roles operate within daytime hours – so your evenings stay yours.

🛍️ Up to 33% Staff Discount – On garden and home favourites (*varies by store).

🚗 Free On-Site Parking – Hassle-free parking every day.

🏆 GREAT Values & Recognition – We celebrate our team with monthly awards and shout-outs.

🎉 Quarterly Engagement Events – From team updates to free food – we love getting together.

🌴 Enhanced Holiday Allowance – More time off that grows with your service.

🌱 Grow With Us – Company-funded development opportunities.

💚 Well-being Support to Help You Thrive – EAP including 24/7 GP access, funeral concierge, and mental health support – we’re here when you need us.

💷 Pension Contributions – Helping you grow a secure future.

🪴 Supporting Causes That Matter to Our Team – Through our Kindness Pot, we donate to charities and local causes close to our team’s hearts – planting seeds of kindness in the community.

Ready to lead, inspire and create great food every day? Apply now and take the next step in your chef career with Tingley Garden Centre.