Nursery Chef

Family First; Southampton; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days annual leave + bank holidays +

Birthday off

Employee wellbeing programme

Learning and development opportunities

Refer a Friend bonus scheme

Supportive team environment

Career progression within Family First

Job summary

Family First's Woodberry Waterlooville Day Nursery in Southampton is hiring a Nursery Chef to provide healthy, age-appropriate meals and maintain high kitchen standards.

This full-time role offers a 40-hour week, a competitive salary of £27,435.40 per annum, generous leave, wellbeing benefits, and opportunities for learning and development within the Family First Group.

Qualifications

• Experience preparing meals in domestic or commercial kitchens.
• 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.
• Passion for providing healthy, nutritious meals for children.

Responsibilities

• Preparing and cooking fresh meals each day while minimising food waste.
• Catering for 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 health, safety and food hygiene standards are consistently met.

Skills

Kitchen experience

English fluency

COSHH knowledge

Budget management

Child-friendly cooking

Job description

Southampton, United Kingdom | Posted on 14/09/2026

• Location Woodberry Day Nursery Waterlooville
• Date Opened 14/09/2026
• Work Experience 1-3 years
• Job Type Full time
• Province Hampshire
• City Southampton
• Postal Code PO7 7AN
• Country United Kingdom

Job Description

Nursery Chef

Woodberry Waterlooville | Waterlooville Permanent | 40 Hours Per Week Monday - Friday £27,435.40 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 Woodberry Waterlooville 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 wellbeing andassistanceprogramme
• 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.

Woodberry Waterlooville Day Nursery 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.