Chef

Summary

Are you looking to step up your career in food and beverage? The National Trust is renowned for its food and hospitality. We run 185 cafes, tea-rooms, and restaurants all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we'd love you to join us. We're looking for a Chef to join us. Because we are in a rural area, please think about how you'd be able to get here for work, before applying for the job.

Benefits

We want to help you look after the things that matter to you, such as saving for your future, getting a discount on your weekly shop, or encouraging you to find a work-life balance. Please read our package, below, to see what benefits we offer you.

The package

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
• Flexible working whenever possible
• Employee assistance programme
• Free parking at most Trust places

Hours

37.5 hours per week. No evenings or split shifts.

Working 5 days out of 7 with flexible hours and at least 1 weekend off per month, working alongside 2 other chefs.

Salary

£27,612 per annum

Duration

Permanent

Interview date

From 1st June 2026, flexible to accommodate candidates' availability.

Potential start date

TBC

What it's like to work here

To find out more about what it's like to work in a food and beverage team for the National Trust, watch our video.

What you'll be doing

Your main focus is the kitchen, a busy and creative hub. You'll be working within the framework of our 'National Trust Cookbook' to prepare delicious food from scratch using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Your food will be served directly to visitors. You'll help to build a great place to work, which includes showing empathy and giving support to team members when needed. The aim is to foster a positive spirit where everyone is focussed on giving the best possible service to visitors. By maintaining high standards of food hygiene and COSHH procedures, you'll minimise risks to visitors, staff and contractors. We'll give you an induction that fits the job, and training in allergens and food safety, plus any mentoring needed to help you in your role. You can sign up for further professional training and development if you wish.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the attached document. Who we're looking for

• Experienced as a professional chef or cook, with a passion for food and a friendly and positive attitude.
• Confident about following recipes and batch-cooking, and willing to learn.
• Aware of health and safety compliance.
• Happy working within a team, and good at communicating with people.

Location

Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 8JN

Documents

Chef - Career Level B.pdf

Requirements

Compliance. Eligibility to Work in the UK

Closing date

31 May 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here.

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment process to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.