What it’s like to have one of the tastiest jobs in the business
What it’s like to have one of the tastiest jobs in the business
Senior Food Development Manager, Daniel Wilkes, reveals what it’s like to have one of the tastiest jobs in the business. In every kitchen across our 1,700 pubs and restaurants, our chefs serve up delicious dishes daily - with a little help from our Food Development Team. It may be behind the scenes but it’s one of the tastiest jobs in our business!
Working in this team means you have to know your onions from your shallots! The team work behind the scenes to ensure that the product sourcing, training and supply chain behind the operation means that the dishes they have dreamed up, then get delivered to happy guests in our pubs and restaurants across the country.
Daniel Wilkes, Senior Food Development Manager at Mitchells & Butlers, explains the process of making sure a dish is perfected before it makes it to a customer’s plate. “The team and I tend to work on a brief for a particular topic such as a summer menu for one of three brands that I work on; Toby Carvery, Harvester and Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery. Upon receiving the brief, we then work up a proposal and prepare initial ideas for the menu, with costings.”
Once that is completed, the team then spends time cooking, developing and refining these dishes, so they can be presented to the brand teams in a variety of food shows to gather feedback. Daniel explains that the dishes they create are often unique to the individual brand, “Working in our Food Team, we make sure that the dishes that get developed by our Development Chefs, reflect the brand, kitchen facilities and food skill levels of the team who will be serving up the dishes to our guests. I think it is really important to create unique dishes for our brands that you can’t get anywhere else, from the jerk ribs in Harvester to the miso rice bowl in All Bar One. Dishes like these showcase the chef’s skill and flair and can often become iconic dishes with our guests and teams.”
In addition to developing the menu items, the team looks for ways to tap into the latest dining and consumer trends and looking at ways to adopt them for each brand. “We regularly research trends and gather inspiration from all over, to try and understand the appropriate time for a flavour, trend or dish to land in our market.”
Daniel’s job involves constantly tweaking and improving dishes and subtly evolving each brand to keep pace with trends, but when a brand needs a complete refresh, Daniel and his team play a major part. “One of the most exciting projects I worked on recently was ‘Harvester 2020’. Our team worked tirelessly for a year, looking at every aspect of the dining experience starting with the menu, even researching bespoke crockery, glassware and uniforms. We worked together with the Harvester Team to build something really special that has moved the brand on tremendously.” Although not one to pick favourites, Daniel explains that he is very proud of one particular development, “I’m really proud of our new extensive ribs section that is on our main menu. We showcase regular ribs, large racks, 1kg smoked racks, half kilo beef ribs and my favourite, the jerk spiced ribs with spiced rum BBQ sauce!”
For Daniel, there is no better feeling than creating dishes that go on to become successful that chefs enjoy cooking and guests enjoy eating. However, it’s not just the Food Development Team that are at the steering wheel of the menus at Mitchells and Butlers, as we regularly host ‘takeover days’ for each of the pubs and restaurants, where our Retail Support Team can also have their say on the dishes they will be serving up to their guests.
And spending his work hours surrounded by food hasn’t put him off, in fact Daniel often experiences his dishes as a guest by visiting his local Stonehouse to treat his family to a pizza and sometimes may even indulge in his guilty pleasure - a midweek Toby Carvery roast!
Receive articles like this
Looking for more related content to feast on?
If you like what you're reading but you're hungry for more, we've got a little something for you.
Some articles you might like
Teaser
ManagementContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/28/2024
Summary
Temporary Christmas jobs are a great way to earn extra cash for the holidays while gaining valuable work experience. They offer the chance to build new skills and try out roles like bar, waiting
by
Rebecca Skeet
Teaser
KitchenContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/28/2024
Summary
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to lead a buzzing kitchen team, create memorable dining experiences, and make your mark in hospitality, you’re in the right place. To give you a better ide
by
Laura Kelly
Teaser
GeneralContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/22/2024
Summary
In today's busy world of pubs and bars, it's not just about the drinks. What really sets a place apart is how well they treat their guests. At M&B, we believe that every interaction is an opportu
by
Katie Handy
Teaser
ManagementContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/06/2024
Summary
At Mitchells & Butlers, we pride ourselves on the growth and development opportunities we provide to our employees. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Christian, General Manager of th
by
Rebecca Houseago
Teaser
GeneralContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/01/2024
Summary
Christmas is coming, and we can hear Santa's bells fast approaching. That's right, it's almost time to dust off the Christmas jumper and get the decorations out of the box. If you're not excited j
by
Rachel Weaver
Teaser
GeneralContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/14/2024
Summary
A live-in job, you say? Right, well, before we go any further, let’s break down the basics: What is a live-in job? Simply put, it’s a job that includes live-in accommodation as part of the benefi
by
Rebecca Houseago
Teaser
Bar and WaitingContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/07/2024
Summary
So, the job search is on. Many people dread the process and see it as a race to the finish line where they’ll receive the prize of a job. While that should be your ultimate goal, there’s no sens
by
Sue Bayley
Teaser
CultureContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/02/2024
Summary
Mulled wine and pigs in blankets season is upon us, and we're ramping up for a busy time of year. Our hospitality teams work hard all year round, but in December they make experiences extra special
by
Amandeep Chahal
Teaser
KitchenContent Type
BlogPublish date
08/28/2024
Summary
At M&B, we're on a bold sustainability mission with an ambitious goal: reaching Net Zero by 2040. Our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is driving innovative changes across our oper
by
Katie Handy
Teaser
KitchenContent Type
BlogPublish date
07/11/2024
Summary
What is a Team Leader job? Are you a natural-born leader with a passion for food? Then we’ve got a place for you as one of our Kitchen Team Leaders at Mitchells and Butlers. As a Team Leader in
by
Rebecca Houseago
Jobs you might like...
Salary
Competitive Salary
Location
Bell - AYLESBURY, Aston Clinton, HP22 5LE
Departments
Chef
Hours
Full Time
Vacancy Type
Other role
Brand
Premium Country Pubs
Location
Aston Clinton
Description
No CV to hand? No problem! We've made our application process mobile friendly and removed the need for a CV. Our form takes 2 minutes to complete and tells us all we need about you! As a Junior Sous C
Reference
2351545
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Competitive Salary
Location
Bell - AYLESBURY, Aston Clinton, HP22 5LE
Departments
Chef
Hours
Full Time
Vacancy Type
Other role
Brand
Premium Country Pubs
Location
Aston Clinton
Description
No CV to hand? No problem! We've made our application process mobile friendly and removed the need for a CV. Our form takes 2 minutes to complete and tells us all we need about you! As a Chef de Parti
Reference
2351544
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Competitive Salary
Location
Bell - AYLESBURY, Aston Clinton, HP22 5LE
Departments
Sous Chef
Hours
Full Time
Vacancy Type
Other role
Brand
Premium Country Pubs
Location
Aston Clinton
Description
No CV to hand? No problem! We've made our application process mobile friendly and removed the need for a CV. Our form takes 2 minutes to complete and tells us all we need about you! As a Sous Chef at
Reference
2351541
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Perks of the job...
Love dining out? You'll love it even more with a massive 33% discount across all our brands when you join us. Whether it's date night at Miller & Carter or family roast at Toby Carvery, we’ve got you covered. See what other tasty benefits we offer…
Fancy an
award winning apprenticeship
Ever thought about an apprenticeship? Fire up your career with one of our multi-award winning apprenticeship programmes which are designed to give you the skills to become a hospitality pro.