20 January 2026
Open
Head Chef
Stanway, Essex, CO3
The employer
The Barn Cafe is located at the heart of their lifestyle store and is open all day every day for delicious home-cooked food, great barista coffee and drinks. Serving 200 covers per day and maintaining a standard of food much higher than expected of a typical café.
The job
As Head Chef, you will be responsible for the smooth running of the kitchen operation, delivering a brasserie-style menu to a great standard using local high quality ingredients. The restaurant is consistently doing 200 covers per day, covering breakfast, brunch, lunch, and afternoon tea.
What you'll need
Proven experience as a Head Chef in a high volume fresh food kitchen
Stable work history with good longevity in roles
Ability to work under pressure and run busy services
Ability to lead, motivate and train a team.
Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks effectively.
Knowledge of health and safety regulations and experience in maintaining kitchen cleanliness and hygiene.
Where you'll be based
The café is based in a rural location in Stanway, close to the A12 south of Colchester
What you'll receive
£43,000 - £46,000 per annum dependent on experience
Working 7am-4pm five days from seven
At least one weekend off per month
28 days annual leave
Find out more
To discuss this position in more detail, please send your CV to martin@martin-salter.com or call 07983 967143.
All communication will be treated in complete confidence.