Catering Assistant

Shared Services Partnership; Winchester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits package

Professional growth opportunities

Supportive team environment

Job summary

Hampshire County Council is recruiting a Catering Assistant to support meals and dining at Westholme residential care home in Winchester. You will assist with serving meals, helping residents with eating, and maintaining kitchen hygiene, under training where needed.

The role involves some weekend work with enhanced pay, no sponsorship required, and a supportive team focused on high-quality, nutritious meals for older adults.

Qualifications

• No prior experience required; training provided.
• Level 2 in Food Safety or willingness to complete within 3 months.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work in a team and follow instructions.
• Respectful, patient approach to caring for residents.

Responsibilities

• Serve meals and assist residents with eating.
• Help with food preparation for special diets.
• Help with cleaning and kitchen hygiene.
• Adhere to hygiene and safety regulations.
• Provide person-centred catering and build connections with residents.

Skills

Food Safety Level 2

Team player

Initiative

Resilience under pressure

Respect and patience

Job description

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Catering Assistant

Job Reference: HCC624531
Salary Range:£25,615 - £25,958 pro-rata, per annum (actual salary £7,961 - £8,071 per annum)
Work Location: Westholme, Winchester
Hours per week: 11.5
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 22 October 2026

The Role:

Join our friendly and supportive team, as a Catering Assistant at Westholme residential care home for older adults.

What you’ll do:

• Provide assistance during mealtimes: Serve residents their meals and support them with eating and drinking, ensuring they enjoy high-quality, nutritious meals that are tailored to their dietary needs.
• Food preparation: Assist with food preparation, including special diets for individual residents.
• Cleaning:Carry out scheduled cleaning, including surfaces, floors, walls, and equipment, to maintain essential kitchen hygiene and cleanliness.
• Hygiene and safety:Ensure strict adherence to food hygiene, health, and safety regulations.
• Build relationships: Deliver a person-centred catering service, and develop positive connections with residents as you assist them with their meals.

What we’re looking for:

No experience necessary – we provide all the training you need to be a great Catering Assistant. What’s more important to us is that you have the right values, skills and motivations to provide high quality support.

• Knowledge: Level 2 in Food Safety (or equivalent), or be willing to complete within 3 months of starting in the role. Understanding of kitchen hygiene.
• Team player: Enjoys working in a team, using strong communication and relationship building skills.
• Able to use initiative: Can problem-solve in a practical way and respond appropriately where additional help is needed or in emergencies.
• Resilient:Able to work effectively and calmly under pressure, adapting positively to changing situations and demands.
• Respect and patience: Treat residents with dignity and adapt to their individual needs.

Take a look at our Candidate Pack for more information about the Catering Assistant role, team and our values. The section ‘About you’ explains what specific knowledge, skills and experience we want you to tell us about. Make sure you explain how you meet these requirements and demonstrate our values, in your application.

• Rewarding Work: Make a real difference in the lives of our residents and know that you can help improve the quality of life of others and make a lasting impact on the lives of those you care for.
• Make a Difference: Watch this short video to find out more about the important work our Residential Home Teams do.
• Supportive Environment: Work in a friendly and collaborative team who feel proud of the work they do to support people in our community.
• Professional Growth: We invest in your future. With ongoing development opportunities, you’ll have the chance to enhance your skills and advance your career in the care sector.
• Competitive Benefits Package: Find more information here .

This role involves some weekend and bank holidays working, for which enhancements are paid in line with the HCC salary policy.
Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role and therefore it is essential that you already have the right to work in the UK before applying.
Other roles you may have experience of may include: Customer Services, Kitchen Staff, Waiter/Waitress, General Assistant, Hospitality, Retail, Kitchen Assistant, General Assistant, Food Assistant, Dishwasher, Food Service Assistant, Kitchen Porter.

Values Based Recruitment:

We recruit for attitudes and values in Adults’ Health and Care. We invite you to evidence how you demonstrate our 5 core values in your application. For more information on our values, please refer to the candidate pack.

This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.