Compass Group UK
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Mar 20, 2026
Full time
We are Company of Cooks, and we believe brilliant food and drink starts with brilliant people. For over 25 years, we've been part of some of the UK's most loved cultural destinations, from historic palaces and botanical gardens to buzzing galleries and performance spaces, running the cafés, restaurants, bars and events that bring these incredible places to life. Our values - Craft, Creativity and Community - guide everything we do. They shape how we work together, how we support our partners, and how we make each guest feel welcome. If you care about food, people and doing things properly, you'll feel right at home here. Wherever we are, we do more than serve. We bring places to life through food, service and creativity and we're looking for a Sous Chef to join our team at a prestigious destination venue in Edinburgh. Location: Edinburgh Salary: £32,000 per annum Working Pattern:5 over 7 days, minimum 37.5 hours per week, variable to meet event needs This is a whole-site role supporting a busy daytime café as well as a large events and hospitality operation. You will help deliver food for daily visitors, meetings and conferences, private dinners and full-venue hire events. The venue also hosts evening and seasonal events such as Burns Night, Christmas parties and the Edinburgh Fringe, along with sleepovers and group bookings for schools, scouts and corporate groups. Events range from small meetings to large functions of up to 550 guests, and August is a particularly busy period due to increased activity during the Fringe Festival. Key responsibilities: Support the Head Chef in the day-to-day running of the kitchen Deliver high-quality food across café, events and hospitality service Lead shifts and guide junior chefs Support preparation and delivery of large-scale events Maintain food safety standards and ensure compliance with COSHH and Food Hygiene regulations Monitor stock levels and support ordering and cost control Step up to lead the kitchen in the absence of the Head Chef What we're looking for: Previous Sous Chef experience or strong Junior Sous Chef ready to step up Background in hotel, banqueting, events or quality restaurant kitchens Experience working with fresh food in a volume environment Strong organisation and leadership skills Flexible approach to rota including evening events Fresh food experience (not grab-and-go style) What's in it for you? Working with Company of Cooks has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy. Personal Development and Training opportunities Life assurance scheme Pension scheme Holiday allowance Eye care A great wellbeing strategy - including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion Family friendly support A holiday purchase scheme Regular social events and communication with our leaders Volunteering days Recognition schemes and people awards Long service awards Access to some great high street discount vouchers Company of Cooks officially formed part of CH&CO Catering Group Ltd in 2020. A Honest Approach, A Passionate Team, Quietly Confident
