Cook - Longlands Care Home

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 11,000 - 14,000; Part time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a Cook/Chef to deliver nutritious meals for elderly residents in a care home setting. The role focuses on creating comforting, high-quality meals that support wellbeing in a dementia-focused environment.

The position involves fixed hours (8:00am-3:30pm), 21 hours per week, and duties include menu planning, meal preparation and ensuring safety and hygiene in a care setting. Training and supportive team environment provided.

Qualifications

• Experience preparing meals for care residents, including dementia-friendly options.
• Ability to plan menus that meet dietary and cultural needs.
• Commitment to safe, nutritious meals and high hygiene standards.

Responsibilities

• Cook daily meals for residents in a 24-hour care setting.
• Prepare breakfasts, lunches and teas to meet nutritional needs.
• Plan and design menus taking dietary requirements into account.
• Ensure safety, hygiene and kitchen cleanliness; follow risk assessments.
• Support residents during mealtimes and assist staff as needed.

Skills

Cooking

Menu planning

Food hygiene

Time management

Stock control

Dietary needs awareness

Team support

Education

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Job description

We are looking for a committed and enthusiastic Cook/Chef to deliver high-quality, nutritious meals for our elderly residents. This is a rewarding role where your skills will directly contribute to the wellbeing of those in your care. Longlands Care home is situated in Daventry, we offer a happy and safe living environment in which our residents can enjoy an enhanced quality of life. Our Team of friendly and committed staff provide the highest level of care and specialise in supporting people living with Dementia. With our great accommodation and facilities and a programme of activities, our care home aims to provide a home from home atmosphere in which our residents can feel comfortable, content and very well cared for. It is situated in Daventry, and it offers a wonderful living environment in which our residents can enjoy an enhanced quality of life. We have teams of friendly and committed staff who provide the highest level of dementia care and residential care. With our great accommodation and facilities and a programme of activities, our care home evokes a home from home atmosphere in which our residents can feel comfortable, content and very well cared for. Our customers (Residents) are at the heart of what we do. You will receive continuous training, support assistance. Most of your team will have grown organically within WNC. A rare natural enjoyment for their role and the support they offer to our customers.

Working Hours

Total hours: 21 hours per week Working time: 8:00am - 3:30pm (Please note: these hours are fixed and not flexible.)

Rota Pattern

The role operates on a two-week rota as follows: Week 1: Working three days per week: Monday, Tuesday, either Wednesday or Thursday Week 2: Working on: Monday, Saturday and Sunday

What will you be doing?

You're not just preparing meals - you're creating moments of comfort and joy for the people who live in our care home. A warm meal can brighten someone's whole day, and you'll be a big part of that. Working alongside our Senior Cook.

• Cooking daily meals
• Preparing and cooking breakfast, lunch and tea for residents in a 24-hour care home. Ensuring meals are tasty, nutritious and meet residents' needs.
• Planning menus
• Designing menus that take into account different diets, allergies, health conditions, textures, and personal preferences.
• Ensuring safety and hygiene
• Keeping the kitchen clean and compliant, following food hygiene rules, completing risk assessments, and reporting any faults or hazards.
• Supporting residents
• Creating a positive mealtime experience, supporting staff at mealtimes, and ensuring residents are kept safe around kitchen areas.

At West Northamptonshire Council, we want colleagues who THRIVE. In this role, you'll bring the skills, attitude, and values that help us deliver great care every day.

• A genuine commitment to preparing safe, nutritious meals that meet individual dietary, cultural, and medical needs
• An understanding of equal opportunities and respect for people's behavioural, physical, social, and welfare needs
• The ability to work positively with colleagues and contribute to a supportive team environment
• Experience of preparing and cooking meals, ideally in a care, day centre, or residential setting
• A good understanding of food hygiene and health & safety practices, including a Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
• Strong time-management skills, with the ability to work to set mealtimes and deadlines
• Confidence in ordering supplies and managing stock within a small budget
• Practical, organised approach that helps keep the kitchen running efficiently and safely
• A willingness to learn, improve ways of working, and maintain high standards at all times

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain . West Northants Council, where careers thrive.