Sous Chef

At Gilpin Hotel & Lake House

Location: Windermere

Contract: Full time

Salary: £30,400 - £31,300

Posted date: 17/06/22

At Gilpin, we have a passion for food and our kitchen team reflects this – both in the Michelin starred restaurant HRiSHi, and in Gilpin Spice where we serve dishes from countries along the spice trail in a fun and funky atmosphere. You’ll be working with Hrishikesh Desai and his team, combining great Lake District produce and classic methods to deliver unbelievable textures and flavours – modern British cuisine with a twist.

THE ROLE...

The Sous Chef is the Head Chef or Executive Chef's second in command. At this level, the Sous Chef will have a great deal of the responsibility within the kitchen.

  • Strong knowledge of the daily operations of the staff and kitchen.

  • Ability to carry out the role of head chef in their absence/when needed and assist them in resolving any problems that may occur on the job.

  • Excellent cooking skills and techniques

  • Great understanding of the produce and ingredients

  • Responsibility for how the food is presented on the plate, including planning of the presentation and directing others to do so.

  • Having good control of stock & wastage, ordering ingredients and maintaining necessary inventory

  • Ability to help with the planning of new dishes

  • Having 360 vision, performing duties and watching others; able to multitask

  • Training new chefs

  • Supervising team members, and keeping an eye out for problems that may arise and take control of a situation in an instant

  • Several years’ experience gained whilst working at each different level within a kitchen brigade

  • Understanding the basic food gastronomic terminology e.g. julienne, mirepoix, macedoine, salpicon etc.

  • Excellent cooking skills and techniques e.g. poaching, panfrying, grilling, braising etc.

  • Ability to quickly delegate jobs to a large staff team in an authoritative manner

  • Basic butchery and fishmonger skills - the sous chef should have skills in butchery but apply techniques, i.e. sharp knife, good hand position to take meat or fish off the bone and obtain cuts like, fillet, Troncon, Darne, Mignons etc.

ABOUT OUR FOOD

With a fascinating history as a centre of the spice trade, Cumbrian cuisine has a rich heritage, and local specialities have long included exotic spices with favourites such as Cumberland sausage, potted shrimps, Grasmere gingerbread, and of course, sticky toffee pudding. At Gilpin there are two restaurants celebrating this tradition.

In the Michelin starred, four AA Rosette main restaurant, ‘HRiSHi’, Hrishikesh Desai combines great Lake District produce and classic methods to deliver unbelievable textures and flavours – modern British cuisine with a twist.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

SOCIAL
Staff parties and social events throughout the year

FOOD
Home-cooked food for just £1 per meal. Breakfast of toast and cereal is free, and available all the time.

SUBSIDISED ACCOMMODATION
Fantastic subsidised shared staff accommodation, some at the hotel, some in the countryside, and some in the centre of Windermere and Bowness. In all accommodation there is a shared kitchen and lounge area, and some have added extras such as a pool table, dart board and X-box… We spring clean and paint your room before you move in, meet you, show you around, and settle you in with a welcome pack, and check all the accommodation monthly to make sure everything is still lovely. Our staff accommodation ranges from mobile homes to luxury ensuite rooms in Bowness and Windermere (from £130 to £350 per month including bills). If you’re really trying to save and don’t have a lot of stuff, there are a few very small mobile home rooms that we don’t charge anything for.

STAFF TRANSPORT
Free staff transport between Gilpin and the staff houses in Crook, Windermere and Bowness.

ENGLISH LESSONS
We provide personalised English classes (while you’re paid) if you wish to gain confidence and ability to communicate in English. The aim is to motivate and encourage progression here at Gilpin as well as to gain confidence outside of work.

MY CUMBRIA CARD
We are buying My Cumbria Cards for all of our team – old and new! With this you can get offers & discounts throughout Cumbria on food & drink, activities, shopping and more. We’ll also be introducing a scheme where you can get even more money off certain activities, so watch this space to go bike riding, canoeing, rock climbing, or relax with a lovely meal or go to the cinema…

GYM MEMBERSHIP
Free use of Choices Health Club in Troutbeck Bridge with gym, swimming pool, steam room, sauna and hot tub.

TREATS - DINING & HOTEL STAYS
Discounted rates in HRiSHi and Gilpin Spice, as well as amazing the opportunity to stay at other Relais & Châteaux and Pride of Britain hotels from just £75 per night!

FRIENDSHIP & FUN
There are around 150 of us in Team Gilpin, but we’re not a big international hotel. We love what we do, and believe it’s important to have a friendly warm atmosphere behind the scenes as well as out front. We are family run with a strong team of managers who really look after, look out for and nurture our teams. We have a lovely, friendly, close knit team, where great friendships are made (often long-term). We believe in enjoying what we do!

Why not take a look at our website to see what a great place the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is to work.

How to apply:

Please contact us for more information or email over your CV to careers@thegilpin.co.uk