Canteen Operative Monday - Friday

Yeo Valley Production Ltd; Blagdon; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free parking

PPE provided

Lockers provided

Competitive holiday allowance

Non-contributory pension

Life cover

Healthcare cash back plan

Cycle to work scheme

Staff discounts on Yeo Valley products

Job summary

Yeo Valley Production Ltd is seeking a dedicated canteen assistant in Blagdon to join the daily food service team. You will prepare meals, cook breakfasts and lunches, assemble sandwiches and grab-and-go items, and maintain high hygiene standards.

You’ll also handle frontline service, till operations, and communicate daily menus to staff and visitors. The role supports food safety and daily KPIs, with a focus on quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Experience in busy canteen or food service environment preferred.
• Understanding of HACCP and food hygiene practices is advantageous.
• Willingness to support new starters and training as required.

Responsibilities

• Follow Health & Safety policies and operate equipment safely.
• Prepare and portion food to recipes; maintain hygiene and cleanliness.
• Provide friendly, front-of-house service and process card payments.
• Cook breakfasts and lunches; prepare sandwiches, salads and grab-and-go items.
• Keep areas clean, stocked, labelled and compliant with hygiene standards.
• Support team briefings, onboarding of new staff and suggest improvements.

Skills

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Health & safety awareness

Flexible / proactive

Teamwork

Job description

So, what will I be doing?

You will work as an essential part of the Blagdon canteen team, supporting the smooth running of daily food service operations. This includes preparing high-quality food items, cooking breakfasts and lunches, producing sandwiches and grab-and-go items, maintaining excellent hygiene standards, and delivering friendly, efficient customer service.

You will contribute to the delivery of daily KPIs, ensuring food safety, efficiency, and a positive customer experience.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Safety

• Work safely at all times, following company Health & Safety policies.
• Ensure equipment is used correctly and maintained in safe working order.
• Promote a positive safety culture and challenge unsafe behaviours.

Quality & Food Standards

• Prepare food to a consistently high standard, following recipes and specifications.
• Maintain excellent food hygiene, adhering to HACCP, allergen controls, and “clean as you go” practices.
• Ensure all sandwiches, salads, and buffet items are produced accurately, attractively, and on time.
• Escalate any quality or food safety concerns immediately.
• Complete all required paperwork clearly and accurately.

Service

• Provide friendly, efficient front-of-house service to staff and visitors.
• Operate the till and process card payments.
• Respond to customer queries or complaints professionally.
• Support menu planning and communicate daily menu items clearly.

Cooking & Food Preparation

• Cook and serve breakfasts and lunches to agreed standards.
• Prepare sandwiches, wraps, salads, and packed items for internal customers.
• Ensure correct portioning, stock rotation, and minimal food waste.

Organisation & Housekeeping

• Maintain a clean, organised working environment at all times.
• Ensure stock is rotated, labelled, and stored correctly.
• Carry out deep cleaning tasks as required.
• Keep preparation areas, fridges, and equipment tidy and compliant with hygiene standards.

People & Teamwork

• Work collaboratively with colleagues to meet daily targets.
• Support new starters with basic training and guidance.
• Participate in team briefings and contribute ideas for improvement.
• Maintain a positive and respectful working environment.

Profit & Efficiency

• Minimise waste and use resources efficiently.
• Support accurate stock control and daily stock checks.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency or reduce costs

The working hours for this role are 40 hours per week (8 hour shifts) - Monday to Friday.

Sounds interesting, what do I need?

Essential:

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise tasks.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Positive attitude, adaptable, and proactive.
• Attention to detail and commitment to high standards.
• Understanding of health & safety and food safety requirements.

Desirable:

• Experience in cooking and food preparation, ideally in a canteen, school, café, or restaurant.
• Confident in sandwich preparation and working to production deadlines.
• Ability to work flexible hours.
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 2).

Why should I join the family?

We’re independent, British and proud to be making the highest quality yogurts, desserts and ice cream under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. Operating from four dairies and two logistics centres in Somerset and Devon, we employ over 1700 staff and produce more than 25% of the UK’s packaged yogurt.

We’re sure you don’t need convincing, but there’s a whole host of benefits that we offer.

It goes without saying that you'll have access to free parking, top of the range personal protection equipment (PPE) and your own locker.

You’ll also receive the following:

• Competitive holiday allowance
• Non-contributory pension scheme
• Life cover
• Healthcare cash back plan
• Cycle to work scheme subsidised Yeo Valley products
• Services preferential rates with our partners learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to ensuring all of our employees have the chance to grow.

Our closing dates are a guide for when the application window should close, although we may close the advert sooner if we can.

Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide employment sponsorship to candidates at this moment in time.

Please note that Yeo Valley do not accept speculative agency applications; we will only accept applications from preferred suppliers that have been submitted to us via our recruitment portal at the point of instruction.