Sous Chef

Houston & Hawkes | London | £43,000 per annum | Monday to Friday

Exceptional food, refined hospitality and the opportunity to work alongside a highly talented Head Chef at one of our most prestigious London client sites.

Houston & Hawkes is looking for a talented Sous Chef to join an exceptional kitchen team within a premium London contract. This is a fantastic opportunity for a strong chef with a genuine fine dining background who also understands the pace, variety and commercial awareness required within a high-quality retail food operation.

Fine dining is a significant part of this role. You’ll work closely with an experienced Head Chef whose food standards are outstanding, helping to deliver beautifully executed hospitality menus, elegant lunches and bespoke events alongside a fresh, high-quality retail offer. With excellent ingredients, a supportive team and the freedom to produce food you can genuinely be proud of, this is a Sous Chef role with real quality at its heart.

Work closely with the Head Chef to deliver exceptional food across fine dining hospitality and premium retail service

Take a leading role in the kitchen, supporting the team through preparation and service

Produce refined, beautifully presented dishes using high-quality seasonal ingredients

Support fine dining lunches, hospitality menus, events and bespoke requirements

Contribute to a fresh, creative and high-quality daily retail food offer

Help develop menus and bring new ideas while maintaining the standards and style of the operation

Lead and support Chef de Parties and junior chefs, sharing knowledge and developing the team

Maintain exceptional consistency, flavour and presentation across every service

Support ordering, stock control, food cost, portion control and waste management

Work closely with the front-of-house team to ensure polished and seamless hospitality service

Support the Head Chef with the day-to-day organisation and smooth running of the kitchen

Maintain excellent food safety, allergen, hygiene and health and safety standards

Strong experience as a Sous Chef or an exceptional Senior Chef de Partie ready for the next step

A strong fine dining background is essential

Experience within premium contract catering, a Michelin-level restaurant, five-star hotel or another high-quality kitchen would be highly desirable

Experience across both fine dining hospitality and retail food would be a real advantage

Excellent culinary skills and a genuine passion for refined, beautifully presented food

Strong leadership skills with the ability to support, motivate and develop a kitchen team

Excellent organisation and the ability to maintain high standards during busy service

Good commercial awareness, including food cost, stock and waste control

A calm, professional and hands-on approach

Creativity, attention to detail and real pride in the food you produce

£43,000 per annum

Monday to Friday

A prestigious London client site with a strong fine dining focus

The opportunity to work alongside and learn from a highly experienced Head Chef

Excellent ingredients and exposure to both refined hospitality and premium retail food

Birthday off every year

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave

Free meals on duty

Contributory pension scheme

Life assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

CODE Hospitality membership

Foodie Socials bringing our chefs together to explore new flavours, techniques and ideas

Ongoing learning, development and genuine career progression

Summer Awards Party celebrating our people and achievements

An unforgettable Christmas Party at one of London’s outstanding venues

Houston & Hawkes is an award-winning independent caterer creating vibrant, creative and exceptional food and hospitality experiences across some of the UK’s most prestigious client sites.

We’re a Certified B Corp, recipient of the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2026 and proud to be ranked No. 14 in The Caterer’s Best Places to Work in Hospitality.

If you are a talented Sous Chef with a strong fine dining background who wants to work with exceptional food, an excellent Head Chef and a supportive kitchen team, we would love to hear from you.