Area Nursery Chef

Greenhouse Software, Inc.; Epsom; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 days annual leave

Bank holidays

Summer BBQs

Christmas celebrations

Company events

Long Service Awards

Full Training

Mentoring from Catering Manager

Personalised development plans

Job summary

Fennies in the United Kingdom is seeking an Area Nursery Chef to support multiple nursery kitchens, providing cover during leave and vacancies while maintaining high food quality, hygiene and safety standards. You will coach Nursery Chefs and Kitchen Assistants, train staff, manage stock, and work with the Food Development Chef to deliver menus consistently, ensuring dietary requirements are met.

This role offers a competitive salary with bonuses and a supportive family-owned culture, plus

Qualifications

• Qualified Level 2 or 3 Food Hygiene Certificate.
• Knowledgeable about children's nutrition and dietary requirements.
• Experience in catering in childcare settings is advantageous but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Prepare fresh, nutritious, balanced meals for children and staff.
• Ensure meals meet dietary, allergy and nutritional requirements.
• Provide kitchen cover across multiple settings.
• Train and support Nursery Chefs and Kitchen Assistants.
• Carry out kitchen audits and promote food hygiene and safety standards.
• Support stock control, ordering and reduce food waste.
• Work with the Food Development Chef to ensure menus are delivered consistently.

Skills

Nutrition knowledge

Allergen awareness

Organisation

Team player

Catering experience

Education

Level 2 or 3 Food Hygiene Certificate

Job description

• Salary: Upto £35,000 per year plus potential for bonuses
• Monday-Friday, 8.00am - 5.00pm

At Fennies, we believe healthy, nutritious food plays an essential role in every child's development.

As our Area Nursery Chef, you'll support multiple nursery kitchens, ensuring children receive freshly prepared, balanced meals every day while helping to develop and inspire our kitchen teams.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced chef who enjoys variety, thrives in a leadership role, and wants to make a genuine difference in children's lives.

Why join Fennies?

We support our team members with fantastic benefits, career opportunities and a positive working environment.

Competitive Salary and Bonus

• Up to £39,000 annual Salary
• Performance-related Bonuses

Work-life balance

• Monday to Friday
• 20 days annual leave (increasing by 1 day for every year of service, upto 25 days) plus bank holidays
• Summer BBQs, Christmas celebrations and company events
• Recognition and reward through the Fennies Club long Service Awards
• Full Training
• Support and mentoring from Catering Manager
• Personalised development plans, mentoring and support

About the Role

As an Area Nursery Chef, you'll support kitchens across our nursery group by providing cover during annual leave, sickness and vacancies while helping to maintain exceptional food quality, hygiene and safety standards.

You'll also play an important role in coaching and mentoring Nursery Chefs and Kitchen Assistants, sharing best practice and helping every kitchen deliver outstanding service.

You will:

• Prepare fresh, nutritious and balanced meals for children and staff
• Ensure all meals meet dietary, allergy and nutritional requirements
• Provide kitchen cover across multiple settings
• Train and support Nursery Chefs and Kitchen Assistants
• Carry out kitchen audits and promote excellent food hygiene and safety standards
• Support stock control, ordering and reducing food waste
• Work alongside the Food Development Chef to ensure menus are delivered consistently
• Build Positive Relationships with nursery teams and support continuous improvement across all kitchens
• Help maintain accurate food safety and compliance records

Every day is different. One day you could be supporting a busy nursery kitchen, the next mentoring a new chef or carrying out kitchen quality checks across another setting.

What we're looking for

You don't need previous nursery experience - we'll provide the training you need. If you're passionate and organised chef who takes pride in creating high-quality meals and maintaining excellent kitchen standards.

We're looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in catering, in a childcare setting would ideal, but not essential
• Knowledgeable about children's nutrition and dietary requirements
• Qualified Level 2 or 3 Food Hygiene Certificate
• Trained in Allergan awareness
• Organised, reliable and able to manage busy kitchen environments
• A positive team player who enjoys working alongside others

Most importantly, you care about the impact your food has on children's health and happiness.

Become part of the Fennies DNA

We’re family-owned and family-run; this guides our culture, our decision-making, and what it feels like to be part of our team. From our supportive culture to our high-quality environments, we’re committed to creating exceptional places to work and learn. Our People Promise inspires us to build the kind of culture that is ambitious, passionate and supportive. We provide the environment where you can:

• Be Yourself
• Come Together
• Be All In
• Go Further

If this sounds like you, or you just want to know more about what it means to be part of the Fennies family,make contact withus today for a chat.

Take your next steps with Fennies

Our friendly Talent Recruitment team are here to answer any questions you may have about Fennies – call us to discuss the role, or if you’re just curious about what it’s like to work at Fennies, let us know, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions. Our Talent Recruitment team can be contacted by:

At Fennies, we celebrate diversity and believe inclusive teams create stronger learning environments for children. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.

Safeguarding

Fennies is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All successful applicants will be required to complete an enhanced DBS check and provide proof of identity. In line with Safer Recruitment guidance, online searches (including social media) may be conducted for shortlisted candidates.