Nursery Chef

Family First Nurseries Group; Colchester; Remote; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days annual leave plus bank (=hols)

Birthday off

Employee wellbeing and assistance

Tailored learning and development

Refer a Friend bonus scheme

Supportive and welcoming team

Opportunities to grow within Family F

Job summary

Family First Nurseries Group is seeking a Nursery Chef for Just Imagine Day Nursery in Colchester. You will join a friendly team and deliver nutritious meals in a safe, welcoming environment, contributing to children’s health and happiness.

The role requires cooking in a domestic or commercial kitchen, knowledge of food safety and dietary needs, and a commitment to high hygiene standards. A supportive team and development opportunities are offered.

Qualifications

• Experience preparing meals in a domestic or commercial kitchen.
• Knowledge of COSHH regulations and food safety practices.
• Ability to cater for diverse dietary requirements and allergies.
• Fluent spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook fresh, nutritious meals daily for children.
• Cater to dietary requirements, allergies and cultural needs.
• Maintain a clean, safe, hygienic kitchen in line with Food Hygiene regulations.
• Follow Red, Amber and Green Plate procedures.
• Complete daily hygiene records and cleaning schedules.
• Manage stock and food orders within budget.
• Ensure health and safety standards are consistently met.

Skills

Fluent English

Food hygiene knowledge

Budgeting for catering

Dietary requirements awareness

Tools

COSHH regulations

Job description

Greenstead, United Kingdom

• Location Just Imagine Day Nursery - Colchester
• Date Opened 14/10/2026
• Work Experience 1-3 years
• Job Type Full time
• Postal Code CO4 3JN
• Country United Kingdom

Job Description

Nursery Chef

Just Imagine Day Nursery | Colchester Permanent | 40 hours per week Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm Salary: £27,081.60 per annum

75% Childcare Discount | Birthday Off | Employee Wellbeing Programme

Do you enjoy preparing fresh, nutritious meals and want to play an important role in children's wellbeing?

At Just Imagine Day Nursery, we're looking for a reliable and enthusiastic Nursery Chef to join our friendly team. Your role will be central to ensuring our children enjoy healthy, balanced meals in a safe and welcoming environment.

Working behind the scenes, you'll prepare and cook fresh, age-appropriate meals while maintaining the highest standards of food hygiene, safety and cleanliness. Your commitment to quality and care will support children's health, development and happiness every day.

What we offer:

• 24 days annual leave plus bank holidays and your birthday off
• Employee wellbeingandassistanceprogramme
• Tailored learning and development opportunities
• Refer a Friend bonus scheme
• Supportive and welcoming team environment
• Opportunities to grow within the Family First Group

The role:

As our Nursery Chef, you'll be responsible for delivering nutritious meals while maintaining an organised, safe and compliant kitchen. Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparing and cooking fresh meals each day while minimising food waste
• Catering for all dietary requirements, allergies and cultural needs
• Maintaining a clean, safe and hygienic kitchen in line with food safety regulations
• Following Red, Amber and Green Plate procedures
• Completing daily hygiene records and cleaning schedules
• Managing stock and food orders within budget
• Ensuring all health, safety and food hygiene standards are consistently met

Whatwe'relooking for:

• Experience preparing meals in a domestic or commercial kitchen
• Good understanding of food allergies and dietary requirements
• Knowledge of COSHH regulations
• Experience working within a catering budget
• Fluent spoken and written English
• Experience cooking for young children
• A passion for providing healthy, nutritious meals that children enjoy

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate will berequiredfor all posts. This post will be subject to enhanced checks as part of our Safeguarding Duty.

(Nursery Name) is part of the Family First Group where we take great care to treat everyone as a person, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment,pregnancyor maternity, ethnic or national origin, or political belief has no place within the Family First Group.