Job Description
Job DescriptionHead Pastry Chef / Kitchen
We are looking for a skilled and passionate Confectionery Cook to join our kitchen team. In this role, you will craft a wide range of handmade confections — from rich, tempered chocolates to artisan sugar candiesincluding toffees, caramels, brittles, and fudge. You will bring precision, creativity, and deep productknowledge to every batch, ensuring consistent quality and presentation across our full confectionery offering.
Key Responsibilities• Prepare and produce chocolate confections including truffles, ganaches, enrobed pieces, and mouldedchocolates using proper tempering techniques for dark, milk, and white couverture.• Cook and craft sugar-based confections such as soft and hard caramels, toffee, butterscotch, pralines,nougat, marshmallows, and boiled sugar sweets with precise temperature control.• Monitor cooking temperatures at critical sugar stages (soft ball, hard ball, soft crack, hard crack) usingcalibrated thermometers and refractometers.• Execute recipe formulations accurately, batch production schedules, and scaling requirements whilemaintaining consistent flavour, texture, and yield.• Assist in the development of new confectionery products, seasonal lines, and gift box assortments incollaboration with the Head Chef.• Maintain a clean, organised, and compliant kitchen workspace in accordance with food safety standards(HACCP), including proper storage of ingredients such as couverture, sugars, dairy, and nuts.• Manage ingredient stock levels, report low supplies, and minimise waste through efficient productionplanning.
Desirable Experience• Chocolate tempering (manual & machine)• Sugar cookery & temperature control• Pulled & blown sugar work• Panning & enrobing techniques• Caramel, toffee & fudge production• Ganache preparation & flavouring• Batch scaling & recipe accuracy• Marzipan & fondant work• Bean-to-bar chocolate knowledge• Shelf-life & packaging knowledge• HACCP & food safety compliance • Pastry or patisserie background• Allergen awareness • Cocoa origin & flavour profiling
Qualifications & Requirements• Minimum 2 years experience in a professional confectionery, chocolate, or pastry kitchen environment.• Culinary qualification (NVQ, City & Guilds, Le Cordon Bleu, or equivalent) preferred but not essential withdemonstrated experience.• Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate (Level 3 preferred).• Ability to work methodically and accurately in a fast-paced production environment.• Strong understanding of ingredient behavior, including the crystallization of sugars and the emulsificationproperties of chocolate