Lead Chef in Winlaton, Gateshead

Love being a chef, but looking for a better work-life balance?

Lead Café Chef
Salary: £15 per hour
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Land of Oak and Iron Heritage Centre, Winlaton Mill, Gateshead, NE21

About Us

Operated by Groundwork North East & Cumbria, a charity committed to creating stronger, greener and healthier communities, our Heritage Centre is set within the beautiful steep-sided Derwent Valley, with an abundance of natural woodland, rare and iconic wildlife and a hidden heritage of British sword making and a world leading iron and steel industry.

Our modern café is the perfect place to fuel up before or relax after a day of exploring. From hearty breakfasts and seasonal lunches to delicious home-bakes, all made with locally sourced ingredients, there’s something to suit all tastes.

About the Role

We're looking for a talented Lead Chef to join our café at the beautiful Land of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre in Winlaton Mill.

This is more than just a kitchen role. It's an opportunity to shape a thriving café offer, inspire a team, and play a key part in welcoming visitors from across the region.

If you're someone who enjoys being creative with menus, takes pride in serving fresh, high-quality food, and loves seeing customers leave with a smile, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Be Doing

As the Lead Chef you'll lead day-to-day kitchen operations, prepare fresh, high-quality food, support and develop your team, and ensure excellent standards across the kitchen.

Why Join Us?

• Create and develop your own menus and seasonal specials
• Lead and support a small, dedicated kitchen team
• Daytime hours (typically 8:30am-5:00pm) with no regular evening shifts
• Take ownership of menu planning, food costings and gross profit
• Manage stock control, ordering and minimising wastage
• Oversee HACCP, food safety and kitchen compliance
• Work in a popular, established café at a unique heritage destination

About You

We're looking for someone who:

• Has experience leading or managing a kitchen
• Is passionate about fresh, high-quality food
• Has experience with menu development and food cost management
• Has strong knowledge of food hygiene and health & safety standards
• Is organised, proactive and enjoys leading a team
• Takes pride in delivering excellent food and customer service

Work-Life Balance

Our café operates seven days a week, with the Lead Chef working a five-day rota that includes regular weekends. Unlike many hospitality roles, there are no late-night services or split shifts, allowing for a more balanced lifestyle. Occasional evening catering may be required for special events, but these are planned well in advance.

If you're ready to lead a kitchen, influence the menu, and make a real impact in a unique setting, we'd love to hear from you.

Closing Date: 26th November 2026
Please note, should we receive a high volume of applications, we may look to close the role early, therefore we recommend an early application.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We want you to be yourself at Groundwork and we value everything that makes you unique. We recognise and celebrate your difference and together we make Groundwork a special and great place to work. As a Disability Confident employer we offer a guaranteed interview to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role.

At Groundwork we ensure that we provide a safe environment for adults, children and young people to take part in any activity or service that we organise. We are committed to creating a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and comprehensive process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all the people we appoint are suitable to work with our children, young people and adults.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

No agencies please.