Kitchen Assistant

St. Margaret’s Hospice; Taunton; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Health cash plans

Employee assistance

Job summary

St Margaret's Hospice in Taunton is seeking an experienced Kitchen Assistant to join our catering team. You will support chefs with food preparation, assist with meal development, serve meals, and maintain high hygiene standards across the main kitchen and kitchenette areas.

The role is part-time (30 hours per week), permanent, with a starting salary of £21,886.49 per annum plus 14% unsocial hours payments. Some Yeovil travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Experience in a catering or kitchen environment is desirable.
• Certification in Food safety and Hygiene/Allergen awareness preferred.
• Compassionate, creative and flexible with patients.

Responsibilities

• Assist chefs with food preparation and meal development.
• Serve meals and maintain a clean, safe kitchen environment.
• Correctly store and label food.
• Wash catering equipment and carry out cleaning duties.
• Prepare rooms for functions and events.

Skills

Catering experience

Kitchen environment

Food safety awareness

Full driver's licence

Education

Food safety certification

Allergen awareness

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Kitchen Assistant to join our team at St Margarets Hospice.

We are looking to expand our catering services to strengthen up and coming future projects.

The ideal candidate will be able to provide outstanding support to a busy kitchen which will include food preparation, cooking of meals and general cleaning throughout whilst complying with HACCP management.

We are looking for someone who:

• Understands food safety processes, in line with environmental health guidelines.
• Has a positive attitude, is highly motivated and enthusiastic.
• Is willing to go above and beyond to ensure that our patients receive outstanding care.
• Experience of working within a similar environment would be preferable as the role will require interaction with patients

Role Details

• Salary:£21,886.49 per annum
• Additional Payments:14% Unsocial Hours Payments
• Working Pattern:Parttime, 30hours per week
• Contract:Permanent
• Location: Taunton, with some occasional Yeovil working

What can you expect to be doing?

You’ll support the Chefs with food preparation, creation of meal development, serving meals, maintaining cleanliness, and ensuring high standards of food hygiene throughout the main kitchen and kitchenette areas.

Key duties include:

• Assisting with food preparation and basic cooking tasks.
• Serving meals and maintaining a clean, safe kitchen environment.
• Correctly storing and labelling food.
• Washing catering equipment and carrying out other relevant cleaning duties.
• Preparing and maintaining of rooms for functions and events.

What will you be good at?

You’ll have:

• Previous experience in a catering or kitchen environment.
• Hold some certification such as Food safety and Hygiene Allergen awareness.
• Compassionate, Creative, Positive with a flexible approach to work.
• Full Drivers Licence

There will be a requirement to travel to Yeovil on occasion in order to cover holiday, sickness, or support with events.

Our Values

At St Margaret's Hospice, our values guide everything we do. We are:

• Compassionate:Kindness and care for everyone, every day
• Collaborative:One team, working together for one goal
• Ambitious:Striving for better, now and into the future.

Inclusive recruitment

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Why join St Margaret's Hospice?

You won't just be joining a fantastic team - you'll become part of a welcoming, community-minded charity making a real difference every day.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment alongside a range of benefits including:

Holiday entitlement

• 33 days including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro-rata if part-time)
• Ability to buy and sell annual leave

Pension scheme

• NHS pension continuation where applicable*
• 6% employer / 5% employee contribution for non-NHS staff

Additional Benefits

• Life assurance cover (2x salary)
• Health Cash Plans
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access, counselling, wellbeing support, and legal/financial advice
• Blue Light Discount Card
• Enhanced maternity leave*
• Excellent learning and development opportunities
• Free on-site parking in Yeovil and Taunton
• Opportunities to volunteer and support fundraising initiatives

*Eligibility criteria applies

Closing date:25th August 2026

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visasponsorshipat this time.

Safer Recruitment

St Margaret's Hospice are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who use our services.

As part of our safer recruitment processes, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks relevant to the role. These may include verification of identity, right to work,references, qualifications,DBS,and othercompliance checks.

The Disclosure and Barring Service offers a confidential checking service for transgender applicants. This route gives applicants the choice not to have any gender or name information disclosed on their DBS certificate and is available for all levels of DBS check.