Assistant Chef

Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd.; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Career progression

Hive discounts

28 days holiday

Birthday leave

Childcare discount

Family leave bonus

Menopause support

Salary Finance

Mental Health support

Cycle to Work

Pension plan

Private medical insurance

Job summary

Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd. in Swindon is looking for an Assistant Chef to join our friendly kitchen team.

You will prepare healthy, age-appropriate meals for children and support daily kitchen operations in our busy nursery setting. You will assist with food safety, portion control, stock management, and cleaning duties, while contributing to a nurturing environment that supports children’s growth and wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Prepare healthy meals meeting dietary requirements for children.
• Support kitchen operations and maintain food safety standards.
• Maintain inventory and assist with stock management.

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

Compliance awareness

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.

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.

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.

Busy Bees Swindon Peatmoor is an Ofsted-rated Good nursery with a capacity for 100 children and a friendly, experienced team, with some colleagues having been with us for over 15 years. Conveniently located with excellent transport links, free staff parking and a shop nearby, we’re also close to beautiful lakes and woodland walks. We offer a supportive and rewarding workplace with benefits including childcare discounts, anniversary recognition and our LOVE voucher and staff shout-out scheme.

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.