Premier Foods
Development Chef - Merchant Gourmet
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Development Chef (Merchant Gourmet) – Premier Foods (Worksop)
Permanent, Full-Time
At Premier Foods, we’re passionate about creating high-quality, delicious food that people love. Our Merchant Gourmet brand is a leader in premium, plant-based, and wholefood innovation – and we’re looking for a Development Chef to drive forward-thinking product development and shape the future of our offerings.
This is an exciting opportunity for a creative, trend-driven food professional to turn bold culinary ideas into market-leading products while supporting our ambitious growth strategy.
What You’ll Be Doing
As a Development Chef, you will bring innovation and excitement to the Merchant Gourmet brand by developing products that are trend-led, delicious, and evidence of our commitment to wholefood goodness:
- Create exhilarating, innovative food concepts across diverse cuisines, categories and formats
- Lead New Product Development (NPD) and Enhanced Product Development (EPD) projects
- Ensure all products balance taste, simplicity, and natural ingredients
- Stay ahead of food trends by monitoring retail, foodservice, and media developments
- Collaborate closely with Marketing, Nutrition, and Project Management teams
- Support product launches through recipe development, culinary presentations, and food styling
- Inspire colleagues and external stakeholders via culinary workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions
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What We Need from You
We’re seeking someone who shares our passion for food, thrives on creativity, and loves taking ideas to final concept:
- Professionally trained chef (with relevant experience)
- Experience as a Development Chef, ideally in a food manufacturing environment
- Strong understanding of translating concepts into scalable, commercially viable products
- Passion for plant-based, vegetarian, or wholefood cooking
- Natural creativity with flavour development expertise
- Ability to confidently present and demonstrate food concepts
- Self-motivated, collaborative, and highly organised – capable of managing independent projects
What We Offer in Return
We believe incredible work deserves fantastic rewards. Here’s what you’ll receive:
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- Competitive salary and performance bonus
- Up to 7.5% employer pension contribution
- Private medical insurance and life assurance
- Hybrid working model (50% home & 50% office/site-based)
- Sharesave scheme and opportunity to purchase additional holiday
- Extensive learning and development opportunities
- Access to a wide employee discount scheme
Ready to Shape What’s Next?
Click [Apply Now] and submit your CV, tailored to this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!
At Premier Foods, we foster an inclusive, authentic, and living-wage culture. We commit to ensuring all employees have equitable opportunities, regardless of background, identity, beliefs or appearance. Diversity and individuality are celebrated here.
Commitment to Inclusion
We are a Disability Smart employer and are fully committed to equitable and accessible recruitment. If you experience any access-related challenges or require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please inform us so we can provide the support you need.
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