Cook

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Stockport; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 19,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Substantial 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

National Trust place in Lyme Park, Disley, Stockport, is hiring two Cooks on a zero-hour contract with shifts typically 9/9:30am–5/6pm and 2–5 days per week. The role includes weekends and bank holidays, with interviews in early November and an ASAP start date. An online assessment replaces a traditional CV submission.

You’ll prepare meals in a busy kitchen, work solo or in a team, and help with deliveries, safety checks, and daily paperwork.

Qualifications

• Eligibility to work in the UK.
• Experience in kitchen cooking preferred.
• Willingness to work weekends and bank holidays.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and present food from scratch using fresh ingredients.
• Work solo or as part of a small team in busy outlets.
• Assist with deliveries, cleaning, and basic food safety paperwork.
• Follow the National Trust Cookbook framework and recipes.
• Support food safety checks and maintain health and safety compliance.

Skills

Following recipes

Batch cooking

Food safety compliance

Teamwork

Job description

We’re looking for two Cooks to join us! 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.

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.There is a driveway approximately 1 mile long between the main road and your place of work.

Salary: £13.25 per hour

Contract Duration: Fixed term for 9 months (with the possibility of extension)

Working Hours: This is a zero-hour contract, meaning wecan’tguarantee a set number of hours each week. While we aim to provide a consistent work pattern, flexibility is needed as schedules may change based on business needs.We’lltry to give as much notice as possible. The role includes weekends and Bank Holidays, but does not require split shifts. Although hours are not guaranteed, we typically expect to offer between 2 and 5 full days per week, depending on your availability. Shifts are typically between 9/9:30am and 5/6pm, although times may vary depending on business levels. A handful of events throughout the year may require earlier or later shifts.

Interviews: Various interview times available on 2nd and 6th-9th November.

Potential Start Date: ASAP

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.

What it's like to work here

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.

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.

We’re a really busy property with multiple outlets, so you’ll sometimes work alone in a kitchen and be responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day running of that outlet. At other times, you’ll work as part of a small team in our main kitchen.

Using the framework of our “National Trust Cookbook”, you’ll prepare, measure and mix ingredients. You’ll do some baking, as well as basic preparation of soups, salads, brunch service and main meals. You’ll also help with receiving deliveries, cleaning tasks, and completing daily food safety checks and paperwork, keeping the kitchen compliant with health and safety legislation and making sure service runs smoothly.

We’re a really hardworking, friendly and fun team, with a variety of different experience levels and loads to learn if you want to. We’ll give you an induction that fits the job, training in allergens and food safety, and any mentoring you need to help you in your role. You can also sign up for further professional training and development if you wish.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don’t need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.

Who we're looking for

• 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

• 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

Lyme Park, Disley, Stockport, SK12 2NX

Documents

Cook - A2.pdf

Requirements

Compliance. Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 25 October 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.