Chefs/Cooks

British Garden Centres; Grantham; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 18,000; Part time

Job summary

British Garden Centres in Grantham is seeking a friendly Chef/Cook to join our garden centre restaurant team. You will prepare, cook and present a range of dishes, following recipes while adding your own ideas. You’ll work as part of a close-knit team and be flexible for busy weekends and holidays.

Experience in a busy kitchen, a positive attitude and a commitment to high standards are essential. Level 2 Food Hygiene is preferred, but enthusiasm and kitchen nous count too.

Qualifications

• Experience cooking in a busy kitchen, restaurant or café.
• Able to work at pace while maintaining high standards.
• Able to follow recipes and specifications consistently.
• Willing to bring new ideas to the kitchen.
• Calm and organised when orders are busy.
• Understand food hygiene and allergens and safe working practices.
• Reliable, positive and a team player.
• Flexible about weekends and busy periods.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook and present food to a consistently high standard.
• Follow recipes, portion sizes and menu specifications.
• Help the kitchen team keep up with orders during busy service.
• Suggest specials, seasonal dishes and home baking ideas.
• Receive deliveries and check, store and rotate stock properly.
• Monitor portions and food waste to help manage costs.
• Ensure food is prepared and served safely with hygiene and HACCP rules.
• Keep kitchen and work areas clean, tidy and safe.
• Work closely with the restaurant team to deliver a great customer experience.
• Pitch in and help colleagues as needed during busy times.

Skills

Cooking in busy kitchen

Team player

Flexible weekends

Food hygiene

Follow recipes

Allergen knowledge

Education

Level 2 Food Hygiene

Job description

Location: Grantham

Contract type: Temporary

Hours: Part Time

Hours: Various Hours per Week Including Weekends

The Role

We are looking for a friendly and enthusiastic Chef/Cook to join our restaurant team.

Our garden centre restaurants and cafés can get really busy, so we are looking for someone who enjoys working in a lively kitchen, takes pride in serving great food and isn’t afraid to get stuck in when things get busy.

You will be preparing and cooking a range of dishes from our menu, making sure our customers receive tasty, well-presented food without having to wait too long. You will follow our recipes and standards, but we would also love you to bring your own ideas to the kitchen, whether that’s suggesting a special, sharing a home-baking idea or helping us make what we do even better.

You will be part of a close-knit team, so being willing to help each other out is just as important as your cooking skills.

As our busiest times are often weekends and holidays, you will need to be flexible and comfortable working weekends as part of your normal working pattern.

The Role

No two days will be exactly the same, but your role will include:

• Preparing, cooking and presenting food to a consistently high standard.
• Following our recipes, portion sizes and menu specifications.
• Helping the kitchen team keep up with orders during busy service periods.
• Bringing forward ideas for specials, seasonal dishes and home baking.
• Receiving deliveries and making sure stock is checked, stored and rotated correctly.
• Keeping an eye on portions and food waste to help us manage costs.
• Making sure food is prepared and served safely, including following our food hygiene, allergen and HACCP requirements.
• Keeping your kitchen and work areas clean, tidy and safe.
• Working closely with the rest of the restaurant team to give our customers a great experience.
• Pitching in and helping your colleagues wherever needed. We are one team, particularly when it gets busy!

About You

You don’t need to be a fine-dining chef. We are much more interested in finding someone who enjoys cooking, understands a busy kitchen and takes pride in doing a good job. We would love to hear from you if you:

• Have experience cooking or preparing food in a busy kitchen, restaurant, café or similar environment.
• Are comfortable working at pace whilst still maintaining good standards.
• Can follow recipes and specifications consistently.
• Enjoy bringing new ideas to the kitchen.
• Stay calm and organised when there are plenty of orders coming through.
• Understand the importance of food hygiene, allergens and safe working practices.
• Are reliable, positive and happy to get stuck in.
• Enjoy working as part of a team but are also confident working independently when needed.
• Are flexible about working weekends and busy periods.

Experience of carvery service would be an advantage, and a Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification would be beneficial, but we would still love to hear from you if you have the right kitchen experience and attitude.

Applications close Monday 2nd November 2026