Cook

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10%

Free entry to National Trust places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days

Job summary

The National Trust is seeking a Cook to join our team in a site-specific kitchen. You will prepare and present fresh, seasonal dishes, serving visitors and contributing to a welcoming food experience.

Roles are outlet-specific and may include baking, chip shop or café-style duties. You’ll follow recipes, maintain safety standards and participate in stock control and deliveries as part of a busy kitchen environment.

Qualifications

• Compliance with UK food safety and health and safety standards.
• Willingness to learn and follow recipes and batch-cooking.
• Attention to food hygiene and allergen awareness.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and present food from scratch using fresh, seasonal ingredients.
• Serve food directly to visitors as part of a village or site experience.
• Assist with deliveries, stock rotation and maintaining a clean, organised kitchen.

Skills

Food preparation

Batch cooking

Health & safety

Job description

Do you have a passion for food? The National Trust is renowned for its food and hospitality. We run 185 cafes all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we'd love you to be a part of it.

We’re looking for a Cook to join us. Because we are in a rural area, please think about how you’d be able to get here for work, before applying for the job.

Benefits: We want to help you look after the things that matter to you, such as saving for your future, getting a discount on your weekly shop, or encouraging you to find a work-life balance. Please read our package, below, to see what benefits we offer you.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, mostly day shifts with the occasional planned evening events

Duration: Permanent. There are two contracts available

For this role, you’ll need to complete our online assessment instead of using a C.V. or online application form. This will help us understand more about your strengths and give you more information on the role.

As a Cook, your focus will be in the kitchen, helping to prepare and present delicious food from scratch using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Your food will be served directly to visitors and play an important part in their day out.

Unlike many cook roles, these positions are outlet-specific, giving you the opportunity to become a specialist in one of the unique food experiences we offer across the site. Depending on your placement, you could be:

• Baking fresh bread in our Victorian bakery while engaging with visitors and bringing traditional baking methods to life.
• Working in our Victorian chip shop, specialising in fish and chips cooked in traditional beef dripping.
• Supporting our cafés by producing seasonal dishes, homemade cakes, sweet treats and the National Trust’s popular Scone of the Month.

These are far from typical cook positions and offer a rare opportunity to work in environments that combine food, heritage, storytelling and visitor engagement.

Using the framework of our National Trust Cookbook, you'll prepare, measure and mix ingredients to consistently high standards. You'll help with deliveries, stock rotation and maintaining a clean and organised kitchen environment, ensuring compliance with food safety and health and safety legislation while supporting a smooth and efficient service.

You’ll also have the chance to interact with visitors, sharing your enthusiasm for food and helping to bring our historic and unique food offers to life.

We'll give you an induction that fits the job, training in allergens and food safety, plus any mentoring needed to help you succeed in your role. You can also take advantage of further professional training and development opportunities if you wish.

Who we're looking for

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

• someone who loves good food and has a friendly and positive attitude
• confident about following recipes and batch-cooking, and willing to learn
• aware of health and safety compliance

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Blists Hill, Legges Way, Telford, TF7 5UD

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 1st November 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.