Chefs are among some of the happiest workers in the UK, a new survey reveals.

Despite working anti-social hours and for relatively low pay, a career in catering or as a chef ranked fourth in the City & Guilds' fifth annual Happiness Index, behind beauty therapists, hairdressers and members of the armed forces. 

Financial rewards were found not to be the answer to job satisfaction with only 44 per cent of people surveyed saying they'd stay in the job as a direct result of salary. 

Caterers and chefs were found to have average happiness levels of eight out of 10 with 68 per cent of people working in the industry saying they'd recommend their employer to a friend. 

Bob Coates Managing Director of City & Guilds said: "It is great to see caterers getting it right when it comes to workplace happiness. With 68 per cent of chefs and caterers claiming they would recommend their employers to friends, the industry is unlikely to suffer recruitment problems in the near future – an encouraging sign."

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