Our Client is The Royal Household. The Lord Chamberlain has overall responsibility for the Royal Household and staff are employed across a wide range of professions including planning, housekeeping and catering and are grouped together into various departments.

The Master of the Household?s Department deals with the organisation, running and staffing of the hospitality and catering events and all domestic arrangements at residences in the UK, be they official or private, or on special occasions abroad.

F Branch is specifically responsible for the preparation, cooking and presentation of food, for the Royal family and employees, at all Royal residences and an additional Sous Chef is now required to complete the team.

The Role:

Reporting into the Head Chef, the prime purpose of the role is to support and be responsible for the day-to-day supervision, preparation and service of food to the Royal Household and staff, ensuring that the highest standards are maintained at all times. The successful candidates will take charge of the kitchen operation and deputise for the Royal Chef, Head Chef or Premier Chef as and when required.
Additionally the successful candidates will have to undertake any specific function of kitchen management as delegated by the Royal Chef or Head Chef in any of the Royal residences.

Internally, the successful candidates will have contact with members of the Royal family, their guests, all levels of Household staff and employees at the private residences. Externally, they will have contact with various organisations and suppliers.

Leading a team of Chefs and Kitchen Porters the key responsibilities are:

§ To assist with and supervise the preparation and production of daily staff meals, Royal meals and special functions to the highest standards

§ To assist the Head Chef in the ordering of food purchases and stock control, ensuring that the stock levels are in line with requirements

§ To check all food deliveries for quality and quantity and maintain a close liaison with the General Office regarding deliveries, and authorize invoices and payment orders from outside suppliers, when rostered to do so.

§ To assist the Head Chef or Chef in Charge in the planning and preparation of menus, suggesting any improvements to the menu items which are best suited to the kitchen operation

§ To ensure that correct procedures are used, particularly in the preparation of sensitive commodities, ensuring that food preparation is of the highest standard at all times

§ To travel on duty to other kitchens in the U.K. and abroad as required, ensuring that these kitchens are organised and operated to the same level of expertise and diligence required in the main Royal Kitchen. To ensure that attention is given to packing, ordering, unpacking and general organisation.

§ To ensure that all kitchen areas and equipment are kept clean in accordance with the Hygiene Regulations, ensuring that all kitchen equipment is safe and in good working order and that staff are fully trained in their operation.

§ To brief, instruct and supervise the Chefs de Partie and other junior members of the team in their daily tasks and when required assist them in the preparation of food. To teach and supervise all junior members of staff in cooking and preparation techniques and generally to be responsible for the welfare and morale of the staff.

Knowledge and Skills:

Candidates should be accomplished Sous Chefs and have substantial experience gained within 5 star/premier catering operations most recently at a Junior Sous or Sous chef level, where the highest standards are prerequisite. A Corporate/City contract catering or Military background would be ideal.

Practical experience should be supported by a City & Guilds or Military catering qualification.

You should be experienced in all four sections of the kitchen: larder, vegetables, sauces and pastry and have experience of menu planning and development.

You will have an excellent understanding of food hygiene including HACCP, food handling and food presentation concepts.

You should possess excellent communication skills in English and ideally in one other major language ideally French. You will have strong leadership and people management skills with the ability to encourage and develop your team.

You will have proven planning and organisation skills and be able to adapt to rapid changes in a positive manner and work to tight deadlines.

Superb communication skills and instant credibility are essential as you will be inter-facing with a number of people from different backgrounds.

You will be resourceful with a flexible outlook, have the ability to multi-task in order to handle competing priorities and be able to fit into the Royal Household.

Principally based at Buckingham Palace, the successful candidates will also be required to travel to other UK residences spending approximately two : three months of the ye