Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve & Howletts Wild Animal Park
Sous Chef - Garden Room Restaurant
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Closing date: 24th July 2026
Salary: Up to £35,000.00 DOE, Plus Desirable Benefits
Paid Overtime, Plus Service Charge (TRONC)
Full-Time, Permanent Position
Based at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve
At Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve we are recruiting a Sous Chef to work in our flagship Garden Room Restaurant. With a seasonal changing menu using fresh and robust flavours, championing local ingredients and produce from local suppliers.
Nestled within 600 acres of the beautiful Kentish savannah, Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve offers an unforgettable setting where nature meets luxury. The Garden Room Restaurant, housed in what was once the mansion’s stable yard, is an inviting, contemporary space where seasonal menus burst with fresh, bold flavours using the finest local ingredients.
Who We Are Looking For
An ambitious Sous Chef with a real passion for cooking. Previous experience within a fast paced, fresh food kitchen will be essential. You will assist the Head Chef in the supervision of the overall day to day kitchen operation and develop and create seasonal dishes using produce from our kitchen garden. You will also work closely with front of house managers and teams in order to deliver exceptional customer service.
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Contract Details
- Working 45 hours a week, five days out of seven, which may include day shifts, evenings, weekends, school holidays and bank holidays.
- Permanent contract.
- Paid overtime.
- A reliable form of transport would be essential due to the remote location of Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve.
- All applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
The Location:
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve is a world-renowned wild animal park set within 600 acres of Kentish savannah. The Reserve is home to some of the world’s most rare and endangered animals and offers luxury short breaks accommodation, free roaming animal safaris, once-in-a-lifetime animal encounters and exquisite dining experiences. Most importantly, every one of our employees is part of real conservation in action and their efforts have contributed to animals such as black rhino and western lowland gorillas being returned to their natural habitats in collaboration with our partners at The Aspinall Foundation.
Why You Should Join Us
We’re on a mission to create memorable experiences that matter, and our Core Values ‘One Team’, Customer’ and ‘Pride’ are what drive us each day to become part of something extraordinary. As well as walking to work surrounded by the calls of Howler monkeys and the roars from our pride of Lions, you will join a supportive team who are passionate about their place of work.
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Be part of the Port Lympne and Howletts family and join our pride.
You can also expect a host of other roarsome benefits including:
- 28 days of holiday, rising with length of service (pro-rated to start date and working hours)
- Service Charge (TRONC) in addition to salary.
- Paid overtime.
- Comprehensive training and development opportunities, including workshops and e-learning.
- Enhanced Sickness, Maternity and Paternity Policies.
- Unlimited free entry for you and a person of your choice into both of our parks as well as friends and family tickets.
- Exceptional discounts on food, retail and accommodation at our parks.
- Numerous retail discounts and access to a 24-hour counselling line through our Healthy Extras Scheme.
- Company Pension
- And many more length or service-related rewards and Benefits.
To apply:
Please email a CV along with a covering email to lee@portlympne.com
Closing Date: Friday 24 July 2026
Please note, this role may close early if we receive a high volume of applications.
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