Mereworth is an award-winning wine producer with a vibrant cellar-door/café. Mereworth is looking to improve on its already successful food offering and increase our retail and trade offering by becoming increasingly bakery-led. We are looking for a Head Baker to drive this change and future growth.
We are searching for an established hands-on baker who will head up the kitchen team and be responsible for production, staffing, catering health & safety, ordering and product development.
Mereworth consists of a highly passionate team driven by quality. The vision we are working towards is creating a center of excellence for all things food and drink led. This is an exciting opportunity to join a creative team and put a personal stamp on the Mereworth product portfolio.
What Youll Be Doing:
* Managing catering production for our café, private hire events, retail and trade
* Lead day-to-day bakery production breads, pastries, cakes, etc
* Responsible for all aspects of food quality control
* Responsible for catering health & safety and food standards
* Responsible for ordering, stock control, wastage and working with management on cash-flow planning and profitability
* Manage staffing and staff kitchen training
* Product development
* Working with other departments such as Events to create bespoke catering packages and prices.
* Working with operations and bar manager to deliver a successful hospitality service.
* Covering operations manager / bar manager in their absences to oversee staff and running of the bar/retail
Were Looking For Someone Who:
* Has at least 3 years of experience in artisan baking
* Knows fermentation inside out and can work with hydration, temperature, and timing with confidence
* Is reliable, creative, and able to lead by example
* Can balance quality and efficiency in a busy kitchen
* Has experience managing staff and purchasing
* Wants to be part of a small, passionate team
Bonus Points If You:
* Love experimenting with new recipes and flavours
* Have experience with deck ovens or steam-injected baking
* Have knowledge of sourdough
* Have experience with budgeting and planning
* Care about local sourcing, seasonality, and sustainability
* Have knowledge of wine and food pairings
* Have knowledge of retail
What Youll Get:
* Competitive pay, depending on experience
* Simply Health Healthcare
* Free parking
* Pension
* Discounts on the Mereworth product portfolio including award-winning English Sparking Wine
* A beautiful setting in the Kent countryside
* The chance make changes and influence the direction of a growing business and to put a personal stamp on our product portfolio
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