What's cooking at the AHC?
Chef & Kitchen jobs and careers in Surrey, Sussex & Kent
Chop chop...feast your eyes on the possibilities!
<p>The AHC is made up of five beautiful country house destinations in the Home Counties. They all boast stunning AA rosette-awarded restaurants, easy-going lounges and terraces, and some have destination restaurants too, with 3+ rosettes and even a coveted Michelin star.</p>
<p>We're lucky to be a small, privately owned company and our board of Directors, General Managers and Head Chefs all passionately believe in championing local produce, developing the talents in our Kitchens and letting the creativity of our teams shine.</p>
<p>Whether it's your first time working in a professional kitchen or perhaps you're a seasoned (get it?) professional, you'll find a place to rest your knives and call home with The AHC Family.</p>
Ready, Steady, Cook!
<p>The Kitchens are the heart of our Hotels. They are bustling spaces with a flow of cheery waiters and snappily dressed restaurant managers, local suppliers dropping in with the catch of the day and perhaps one of our wedding planners discussing a couple's big day with Chef. Like any professional team, our Kitchen squads are built on teamwork, respect and practice. Our Kitchen squads test their skills, their teamwork and inter-dependency under pressure at each service period; turning out consistently gorgeous plates of food for our discerning diners.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The squad is made of up of talents across all areas; from our pot-washing team (always the most important people!) to pastry chefs crafting wonders of sugar and paste, and from our eager commis, learning knife techniques and gaining a deeper understanding of each ingredient each day, to our experienced and steady Head Chefs. Whether we nurture your talent from commis chef through to Head, or whether you join us later in your career, you can be sure of a professional and warm experience joining our AHC Family.</p>
The proof is in the pudding...
<p>For many Chefs in professional Kitchens, AA-rosettes and Michelin-stars are aspired to and are recognised across the industry as a marker of the skill and style of the Kitchen. At the AHC, all of our properties have at least 2-AA rosettes - defined by the AA as being 'excellent restaurants' with an 'obvious attention to the selection of quality ingredients' with 'higher standards', 'better consistency' and 'greater precision in the cooking' than restaurants with 1, or no, rosettes. Not a bad place to start eh?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Being country house properties too, you can expect to be involved in large, elegant events and weddings, as well as afternoon teas and some more unusual fare too; such as poke bowls by the pool at Great Fosters...there's truly something new being innovated each day in our culinary hubs of excellence. It's surely a great place to start or to continue your professional cookery career.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
Meet the Chefs & Their Restaurants
Restaurants: Reflections & AG's at Alexander House
Meet Darrel Wilde & Johnny Stanford
5 AA Rosettes in total
<p>Darrel Wilde, Executive Head Chef of the mothership Alexander House, has a big job on his hands - luckily for us, Darrel's a big enough character to carry it! Overseeing all outlets at our flagship 5-red-star property Alexander House, Darrel has been fixture in the hotel for many years. Characterised by his cheery demeanor, he's a big believer in developing talent in the Kitchen, thinking outside the box with seasonal menus and experiences and is certainly one of the best in the business for learning the trade of running the business of the Kitchen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In 2020 Darrel appointed Johnny Stanford to run the destination restaurant at Alexander House, the 3-AA rosette 'AG's'. Johnny began his career in Manchester working with Paul Kitching at his acclaimed restaurant Juniper in Altrincham, before heading to Edinburgh with Paul to open 21212 which ultimately achieved a Michelin star. In 2012 Johnny moved to Sussex, working as Matt Gillan's Sous Chef at South Lodge before taking the reins at the Brighton restaurant Pascere as Head Chef - and finally, arriving to us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Across Alexander House, we have a 2-AA rosette brasserie style restaurant 'Reflections', the 3-AA rosette gastronomic destination 'AG's', a large wedding & banqueting business and very healthy slice of Afternoon Teas and Spa Day lunches. It's a very rounded experience for any Chef for sure.</p>
Restaurant: RG's at Rowhill Grange
Meet Andres Garcia
2 AA Rosettes
<p>Andres is a passionate ambassador of Rowhill Grange - he was married at Rowhill a few years back after all!</p>
<p>Andres took up the reins in June 2022, and you can read all about him in his blog below.</p>
Restaurants: The Oak Room at Barnett Hill
Are you ready to lead the squad?
2 AA Rosettes
<p>We're currently on the hunt for a creative foodie to lead our Kitchen team - could that be you? We're looking for someone seriously passionate about local produce, with an eye on food trends who can create exciting dishes that our target audience will adore. We look for great leaders too - so being a people person, with a keen interest in developing rising stars and the talent in the squad is essential.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Barnett Hill is a rapidly evolving property, with new food & beverage concepts being launched, a Utopia Retreat being planned and in the future a further restaurant being built. With 56 bedrooms, numerous function and private dining spaces along with our most gorgeous grounds, Barnett Hill strikes the perfect balance between leisure guests, business travellers visiting nearby Guildford and exclusive-use weddings, functions and private dining. It is an energetic and youthful team ready to take centre stage in 2021 and beyond.</p>
Restaurant: The Mulberry at Langshott Manor
Meet Giuseppina Terracciano
3 AA Rosettes
<p>Giuseppina Terracciano has been at the helm of the much-loved Mulberry Restaurant at Langshott Manor since summer 2021. With experience gained across the sector and most recently at the mothership Alexander House where she is the Head Chef of Reflections, she brings a flair and elegance to the kitchen that we know our diners will love.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Langshott Manor is our smallest property, perfect for exclusive use functions when our team can lavish their attention and talent solely on these menus. When Langshott isn't exclusively booked, it is popular for fine dining, tasting menus, afternoon teas and picnicking.</p>
Tasty opportunities
Why join us?
<p>Nurturing Chef talent is in our DNA at the AHC family. You can be sure of a career when you join us, with endless opportunities to work in our restaurants from 2-rosettes to 1-Michelin star, spread across Surrey to Kent. Aside from that, here are a few more of the reasons you'll want join us...</p>
<p>?? Staff accommodation prioritised for Chefs<br />
?? Up to 5 weeks holiday accrued through length of service<br />
?? Working with local produce with real supplier relationships<br />
?? The opportunity to train and develop around the Collection<br />
?? Free parking, Chef whites & meals on duty<br />
?? Numerous discounts and benefits around the AHC</p>