Assistant Chef

Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd.; Stevenage; Remote; GBP 17,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Professional development

Hive benefits and discounts

Up to 28 days holiday

Birthday off

25% childcare discount

Enhanced family leave

Peppy menopause support

Salary Finance

EAP & Mental Health First Aiders

Cycle to Work

Pension access

PMI discount

Job summary

Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd. in Stevenage is hiring a part-time Assistant Chef to prepare nutritious meals for young children and support the kitchen team.

You will help maintain food safety, assist with stock, and contribute to a caring, well‑managed kitchen environment. Ideal candidates will have leadership experience in early years settings, strong mentoring and problem-solving skills, and the ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance with standards.

Qualifications

• Ideal candidate with leadership experience in early years settings.
• Strong mentoring and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance.

Responsibilities

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals that meet dietary requirements for children.
• Support the Chef in overseeing kitchen operations and maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ensure kitchen inventory is well-maintained and assist with ordering and stock management.
• Support meal preparation and assist in the cleaning and maintenance of kitchen equipment.

Skills

Leadership in early years

Mentoring

Problem-solving

Driving improvements

Compliance

Job description

Join Our Team at Busy Bees – Leading Nursery Group in the UK

Are you passionate about cooking and providing nutritious meals for young children? As an Assistant Chef at Busy Bees, you’ll be a key part of our kitchen team, preparing healthy meals that support children's growth and development. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a nurturing environment where you will contribute to the wellbeing of children while gaining valuable experience in catering within the early years sector.

This role is part-time working 10-2pm

About Us

Busy Bees is the UK's leading nursery group, with nearly 400 nurseries across the UK and more overseas. We are dedicated to giving every child the best start in life and are proud to have won awards for our workplace culture. At Busy Bees, we ensure that every member of our team feels heard, valued, and nurtured.

Why Work at Busy Bees?

We offer a supportive environment that empowers you to create engaging, educational spaces where children can thrive. As part of our team, you’ll be introduced to our unique Bee Curious curriculum, designed to foster curiosity and confidence in young learners.

Our Charitable Commitment

Through our partnership with BBC Children in Need, we offer fantastic opportunities for community involvement and fundraising to support children's lives.

About our Nursery

Join our dedicated team at Busy Bees in Stevenage Great Ashby, a nurturing nursery with a capacity of 112 children. Our longstanding staff is passionate about providing children with the best start in life, ensuring a supportive and engaging environment for all. Conveniently located in the heart of the Great Ashby new town community, we are just a two-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, linking us to the town center. We offer free lunch for our staff and free parking on-site, along with a day off for birthdays. Our unique Bee Curious curriculum fosters curiosity and exploration in children. This is an excellent opportunity to further your career in early childhood education within a caring and vibrant team.

Busy Bees Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Ongoing professional development and career progression
• Our ‘Hive’ benefits and wellbeing hub, with discounts across a huge range of retailers
• Up to 28 days holiday per year (including bank holidays)
• Your birthday off – it’s our gift to you!
• 25% childcare discount
• Enhanced family leave and return to work bonus
• Menopause support through Peppy
• Financial support through Salary Finance
• Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Easy access to your workplace pension through Cushon
• Discounted Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

But wait, there’s more! You’ll also enjoy access to our Benefits and Wellbeing platform, Hive - offering huge array huge of retail discounts helping your money to go further, along with a Wellbeing Hub featuring resources to support your physical and mental health. A Celebrating You section showcasing the ways we recognise and reward our valued team members. Plus, a dedicated Grow with Us area sharing the exciting development opportunities and training designed to support you to thrive and grow at Busy Bees.

Key Responsibilities:

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals that meet dietary requirements for children.
• Support the Chef in overseeing kitchen operations and maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ensure kitchen inventory is well-maintained and assist with ordering and stock management.
• Support meal preparation and assist in the cleaning and maintenance of kitchen equipment.

Ideal Candidate

• Ideally experience in leadership within early years settings.
• Strong mentoring and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance.