Swinton Park Hotel Samuel’s Kitchen Full time Permanent Head Chef- Samuels Restaurant 48 Hours per week working 5 days over 7 salary of £45,000-£50,000 per annum plus Tronc. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head Chef to be part of our team and lead Samuel’s fine dining restaurant at Swinton Estate, following a half a million-pound investment into a state-of-the-art induction kitchen and refurbishment of the restaurant. The restaurants on the Swinton Estate have a superb reputation for using ‘estate-to-plate’ produce to reduce food miles to an absolute minimum, using estate-reared meat from local farms and with an extensive kitchen garden providing seasonal vegetables, fruit and herbs. Samuel's is open for dinner five nights a week, but also delvers afternoon tea and breakfast each day of the week. On Sundays we hope to launch a traditional lunch menu. As the kitchen in the heart of the castle it also services our limited room service menu and small banqueting rooms. Swinton Estate is situated close to the market town of Masham, North Yorkshire. It has been in the ownership of the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s and it extends from the River Ure across 20,000 acres of rural hill farming countryside up onto the moorland Yorkshire Dales. About two thirds of the land is farmland and forestry and one third open moorland, and the vast majority of the Estate sits within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and borders the Yorkshire Dales National Park. There is extensive public access to the countryside on the Estate with many miles of public footpaths, permissive footpaths, bridlepaths, and mountain bike trails. Country activities available include falconry, fishing and clay pigeon shooting. The Leisure side is made up of Swinton Park a 42-bedroom Hotel, Country Club and Spa, Swinton Bivouac, Swinton holiday cottages, Swinton Cookery School and are also operated by the family. The aim of the restaurant is to achieve 3 AA rosettes for classic British grill food with seamless levels of service, exquisite wine selection which compliments the spectacular elegance of the décor. Samuel’s is renowned for providing some of the best Estate to Plate dining in the north of England. The food on the plate should reflect the landscape you can see around you, namely a rich, deep connection to the land and a quiet, unshowy confidence in the produce which you can deliver to a diner. The restaurant is a spacious and airy room with sweeping views over the gardens and home lake, the most distinctive features in Samuel’s are the ornate gold leaf ceiling and enormous mantelpiece. Estate to plate Produce used throughout all kitchens on the Swinton Estate is taken from farms across the estate, where possible, or from the four-acre Walled Garden at Swinton Park. Produce we are unable to source from the estate is sourced as locally as possible to reduce food miles and create sustainable businesses in our local area. The Walled Garden is a working kitchen garden growing substantial quantities of fruits, herbs and vegetables (over 60 varieties) as the seasons dictate. The Walled Garden is a hive of activity at certain times of the growing calendar and you’ll often see our chefs wandering out to collect ingredients for the day. Using organic principles, many innovative methods are used to ensure that any insecticides are kept to an absolute minimum. Local produce With over 9,000 acres of hill farms on the Estate, a deer herd in the Parkland and a four acre Walled Garden, we have a plentiful source of local produce. Over 40% of the ingredients on our menus are delivered from the Estate gate to plate. When so much of our produce arrives by wheelbarrow to the kitchen door the food miles are almost zero, and beyond that we source most of our other ingredients from local Yorkshire businesses. Twice a year, the chefs from our four kitchens are taken on a training session with our local forager to help identify the wild edible ingredients growing in the Parkland and beyond. We are committed to reduce our food miles further though and we are exploring several options at the moment including Argo-forestry. The Role To strategically, financially and creatively oversee the management of the Samuel’s kitchen ensuring the consistent production of outstanding food and menus whilst maintaining a first-rate team of passionate individuals who share the aim of achieving awards and accolades within a luxury hotel environment. Must have a keen eye for detail with food emphasis on produce from the 20,000 acre estate, kitchen garden, and foraging. Main Responsibilities To oversee creative menus, efficient working practices and proactive sales attitudes both front and back of house to ensure the food budget is achieved To constantly keep up to date with current trends in food and cuisine ensuring that the offering is always at the forefront of the trends To ensure that menus are updated regularly and that the use of Food Heroes, seasonality and local produce is maximised To foster good relationships with local schools and colleges raising the profile of the hospitality industry as a career, and promoting employment opportunities at the Swinton Estate General Requirements To create a customer focused environment, which reflects full flexible co-operation within the business. To ensure through that the labour resources effectively meet the service criteria set for the departments, encompassing training, supervision and encouraging multi-skilling of the workforce, within employment law guidelines. To create an environment which promotes employee morale and encourages the team to have a pride in the area and a high level of commitment. To ensure that communication and feedback within the teams is effective and that information is fed back to the directors. Through department DM and holiday roster, ensure an effective management presence is always maintained To evolve and monitor a problem-solving culture through the empowerment of our employees. To agree, monitor and control core service standards to ensure consistent delivery and to meet guest's needs. To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of all relevant legislation and regulations. The way we work at Swinton is underpinned by our CASTLE Commitments below: CUSTOMER – We have the person at the center of what we do whether as a resident, tenant, diner or visitor. ACCOUNTABILITY – We strive to make a healthy profit, so that we can reinvest back into the Estate's product, people and the environment. We task each other with good social and professional values. SERVICE – That we deliver service at the highest standard to all across Swinton so that they wish to stay and keep returning. TEAM - Our team are at the heart of the business, and we develop them to deliver overall. They become family and we do our best for each other. LOCAL –Being part of the local community and significantly contributing to the people, producers and place around us. ENVIRONMENT – We can make a difference as an individual but collectively we can contribute more to create better outcomes for the landscape, habitats and planet.