Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths on Thursday 12th March 2026, 6:30–8:30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.
Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths on Thursday 12th March 2026, 6:30–8:30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.
The head pastry chef is a senior-level position within a kitchen, with the responsibility to oversee the pastry section or a dedicated patisserie kitchen as well as the junior staff working within it. They’ll lead production, undertaking tasks such as preparing, creating and baking the pastries.
They’ll be hands-on in the preparation process, baking and recipe development, testing and refinement. Playing a pivotal role in training and mentoring the junior pastry chefs. Other responsibilities of the role include maintaining stock levels, receiving deliveries and ensuring the pastry kitchen remains efficient and consistent.
The hours the head pastry chef will vary from those of the traditional service staff, i.e. head chef, kitchen porters, etc. Commonly, they will work in the quieter hours, in a cooler environment, to ensure all the food is ready to go ahead of the service. It’s typical for pastry chefs to have split shifts, with morning and evening staff rotating. With pastry staff in the kitchen from 5 am – 12 pm every day of the week.
In terms of career profession, the natural position to progress into above a head pastry chef would be to become a patisserie or restaurant owner. Due to the highly specialised nature of the job, it’s less likely for a pastry chef to transition into a head chef role.
The following skills need to be possessed to progress or begin the role of a pastry chef:
The salary a head pastry chef will receive will depend on the restaurant/ bakery that they are a part of; however, the industry average for this role falls between £35,000 and £50,000 per year.
Employment type:
Employed
Working hours:
5am – Midnight
(but this is split into shifts to allow for all the critical work that must be done early in the day and the fact that pudding is the last course to be served in a restaurant)
Potential Salary:
£35 – 50K
Work/Life Balance
The hours of a pastry chef in a restaurant can be very antisocial, rising at the crack of dawn and finishing late. But as you progress up the ranks and spend more time researching, testing and developing pastry ideas, the hours may become a bit more sociable.
Head pastry chef at Maya’s Bakehouse
Izzie worked in PR and marketing for five years before deciding to pursue her dream of training at Leiths. Graduating as both Wine Student of the Year and Theory Student of the Year, Izzie was offered a job as pastry chef at Spring in Somerset House. She is now head pastry chef at Maya’s Bakehouse in Brixton.
A chef with junior responsibilities for the running of a particular section, answerable to the head of that section – the chef de partie.
A chef whose role in the brigage is to succesfully run one section of the kitchen, from ensuring readiness for service, making sure ingredients are ordered in advance and giving tasks to more junior chefs working on your station.
Usually in charge of ensuring kitchen operations run smoothly, running the pass during service and freeing up the sous chef to focus on menu development.
