The catering and hospitality sector in High Wycombe
High Wycombe may not seem like the first place to consider for catering and hospitality work, but there’s a lot more to this Buckinghamshire town than meets the eye.
An industrial town and a thriving market town, High Wycombe was once famous for its chair-making industry (the town was known as the “furniture capital of England”). Today, retail is a major pull. A street market is still held on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, while the impressive Eden Centre attracts 350,000 visitors each week.
There’s plenty to explore both in town and beyond. West Wycombe Park contains a lavish Georgian mansion house that’s open to the public, and the nearby West Wycombe Village is home to charming, preserved houses built between the 16th and 18th centuries. The surrounding Chiltern Hills offer outdoor escapism, while the more urban setting of the Wycombe Swan showcases the best song, dance, theatre and comedy.
With a smattering of fine dining restaurants, independent cafes, gastropubs and nightclubs across town, food and drink is also prominent in High Wycombe. For catering and hospitality professionals, a steady stream of jobs is available here — from an experienced commis chef in a fine-dining restaurant to a kitchen porter starting a career in a hotel. And with cultural and sporting events taking place throughout the year, seasonal employment opportunities are rarely in short supply, either.
Salaries are also among the most competitive in the Home Counties.
