Nursery Chef

Family First Nurseries; Wickford; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days annual leave

Birthday off

Wellbeing programme

Learning & development

Refer a Friend bonus

Supportive team

Opportunities to grow within Familya?l

Job summary

Just Imagine Day Nursery - Wickford Station Avenue is seeking a reliable Nursery Chef/Kitchen Assistant to join our friendly team. You will prepare and cook fresh, age-appropriate meals, maintain high hygiene standards and work within budget while catering for dietary needs.

The role focuses on delivering nutritious meals for children, minimizing waste, and adhering to food safety regulations. A DBS check will be required for all posts, with safeguarding duties in place.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Experience in meals prep

Food allergies knowledge

COSHH knowledge

Budget catering experience

Fluent English

Child-friendly cooking

Nutritious meals for kids

Job description

Wickford, United Kingdom | Posted on 19/08/2026

• Location Just Imagine Day Nursery - Wickford Station Avenue
• Date Opened 19/08/2026
• Work Experience 1-3 years
• Job Type Part time
• City Wickford
• Postal Code SS11 7AS
• Country United Kingdom

Job Description

Nursery Chef

Just Imagine Day Nursery - Wickford Station Avenue Permanent | 8 hours per week

£13.05 per hour

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 - Wickford Station Avenue we're looking for a reliable and enthusiastic (Nursery Chef/Kitchen Assistant)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.

Just Imagine Day Nursery - Wickford Station Avenue 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.