Head Cook

Head Cook – Oaklands Rest Home

Marchwood, Southampton

Family-run care home | Hands-on leadership role | Paid training | Staff bonuses

Make food one of the best parts of our residents’ day

Oaklands Rest Home is looking for an experienced and caring Head Cook to lead our small kitchen team and create nutritious, home-cooked meals that our residents genuinely look forward to.

Food in a care home is about far more than serving meals. It provides comfort, routine, choice and enjoyment—and plays an important part in residents’ health, dignity and quality of life.

This is a hands-on position. You will cook alongside the team while taking ownership of menus, food quality, ordering, stock control, kitchen records and food-safety standards.

If you take pride in good food, run an organised kitchen and want your work to make a visible difference to people’s lives, this could be the right role for you.

About Oaklands

Oaklands is a warm, family-run residential and dementia care home situated in Marchwood on the edge of the New Forest.

Our approach is personal: we get to know each resident, understand the details that matter to them and help them feel genuinely at home. Our kitchen is central to that experience.

What you will be responsible for

As Head Cook, you will:

• Prepare fresh, nutritious and appetising meals, puddings, cakes and snacks
• Create and regularly review varied and seasonal menus
• Listen to residents and reflect their preferences wherever possible
• Cater safely for allergies, special diets and texture-modified meals
• Lead, support and help develop our kitchen colleagues
• Manage food ordering, deliveries, stock rotation and waste
• Maintain accurate temperature checks, cleaning schedules and kitchen records
• Oversee kitchen audits and maintain excellent food-hygiene standards
• Work closely with care and lifestyle colleagues on residents’ needs, celebrations and special events
• Report concerns about appetite, weight, swallowing or mealtime wellbeing promptly

You will need professional cooking experience, excellent food-safety knowledge and the confidence to lead a small kitchen team. Full skills and qualification requirements are listed below.

What we offer

• 44 contracted hours per week
• Paid induction and ongoing training
• Staff bonus opportunities
• Supportive, family-run working environment
• The opportunity to shape menus and improve residents’ dining experience
• A meaningful leadership role where your ideas and standards will matter
• COMPANY PENSION / PAID HOLIDAY / MEALS / ON-SITE PARKING

Ready to make a difference through food?

If you want to lead a kitchen where good food is valued as part of residents’ care, comfort and quality of life, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this vacancy. Any offer will be subject to satisfactory references, right-to-work checks and a DBS check where required.

Oaklands Rest Home is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of the people who live with us.