Careers at Heckfield place

Heckfield Place is a beautifully restored Georgian house set within a 400-acre working farm in Hampshire, under an hour from London. Our kitchens are led by what grows here: produce comes from our biodynamic market garden and Home Farm, and our chefs take regular tours of the land to draw inspiration from what's growing and what's coming next.

The role

We're looking for a Senior Production Chef to work closely with the Culinary Director and the Head of Culinary Training, Development and Research in creating and developing a wide range of products from Heckfield Home Farm and the wider Estate for our businesses.

You'll help us continue building our unique identity by using estate produce seasonally, creatively and respectfully — crafting preserves from what the season gives us, developing new baked goods around what's at its best, and making sure nothing good goes to waste.

What you'll be doing

• Produce all seasonal baked goods, including sourdough and other breads, ensuring labelling and packaging meet Heckfield Home Farm produce sales standards.
• Lead the development and growth of our baked goods and bread offering, creating new seasonal products in line with the Heckfield ethos and estate produce.
• Streamline and improve production methods, cost-effectiveness and efficiency across the operation.
• Uphold a high standard of food safety, following the health and hygiene procedures set by our food safety policy and current legislation.
• Support food-related guest experiences throughout the year.
• Support the preparation, cooking, service and delivery of hospitality events held on Heckfield Home Farm throughout the year.
• Champion and promote our working culture, company principles and the Heckfield brand ethos.

About you

• A genuine passion for working seasonally, and an openness to learning new styles and techniques.
• Experience in a production or pastry kitchen, ideally with a produce-led or farm-to-table operation.
• The creativity to develop new products rather than only follow recipes.
• Confident with preserving — ferments, pickles, jams, cordials — or keen to learn.
• Organised and methodical: comfortable with production planning, yields, stock rotation and costings.
• A collaborative approach — happy working across kitchens, the farm and the wider estate team.

Baking and pastry skills

• Laminated pastry — croissants, danish, puff and rough puff made from scratch, with the feel for dough temperature, resting and butter behaviour that keeps quality consistent through changing seasons and kitchen conditions.
• Sourdough — building and maintaining a starter, managing bulk fermentation, shaping, proving and baking, and adapting timings to the day rather than the clock.
• Broader baking craft — cakes, tarts, biscuits and traybakes produced to a consistent standard, at volume, with an eye on yield and waste.

Benefits:

The ideal person will have a passion for working seasonally and be opened to learning new styles and techniques.  If you would like to work in a collaborative and creative environment, please apply now!