Nursery Chef Assistant - Old Kent Road - Part Time

London Early Years Foundation; Greater London; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading nursery provider in Greater London is seeking a Nursery Chef Assistant to work part-time in a friendly kitchen. The role involves helping prepare nutritious meals for children, promoting healthy eating habits, and ensuring a safe kitchen environment. Ideal candidates should be excited to work with children and either hold or be willing to obtain a Food Hygiene Level 2 certification. This position offers sociable hours with many benefits, including discounts and generous leave policies.

Benefits

Generous pension plan

70% discount on childcare fees

Up to 35 days off per year

Access to Wellbeing app

Annual conference

Qualifications

• Right to work in the UK.
• Food Hygiene Level 2 or willingness to obtain it.
• Excited to work with children.

Responsibilities

• Help the nursery chef prepare nutritious meals.
• Promote healthy eating habits.
• Manage kitchen and suppliers to ensure safety.

Skills

Positive attitude

Ability to work with children

Food Hygiene Level 2

Job description

Nursery Chef Assistant - Part Time (9hrs per week - Tues-Thu 11.30AM-2.30PM) - Southwark, SE15 - £12.21 per hour + amazing benefits

Work in a friendly kitchen and enjoy working with children every day

"When I arrive at the nursery in the morning, the children's faces light up." - Conchobar, Senior Chef

We’re the London Early Years Foundation, or LEYF Nurseries for short; a family of 40 nurseries. Our people love working for us because we focus on the child and their family, and give them the best start in life.

We give you free in-house training at our Chef Academy. You'll work sociable hours in a friendly environment, and you'll love interacting with the children in your nursery.

What’s in it for you?

• An extra £1,000 uplift in your salary (for 40‑hour week qualified chefs) when you complete the Chef Academy course
• You can work sociable hours – no evenings or weekends
• Lots of training, promotions and nurturing work environment
• Generous pension at 7% from us (1% from you)
• 70% discount on childcare fees
• Up to 35 days off a year, including 8 bank holidays, 3 days off between Christmas and New Year, and your birthday (pro‑rated for part‑time hours)
• Sector‑leading parental leave
• Many other benefits that take care of you, including access to the Wellbeing app, shopping discounts, annual conference and money for team celebrations

A bit about the role

"It’s a different working environment – a lot friendlier and calmer." - Conor, Senior Chef

You’ll help the nursery chef prepare nutritious meals for children and feel real job satisfaction from promoting healthy eating habits for life. Children love the cooking and food‑related activities run by our Chefs.

You’ll enjoy working with the wider nursery team but will also work closely with the chef to manage the kitchen and suppliers, ensuring a healthy environment and keeping children with allergies safe. You’ll be part of the LEYF chef community contributing across our settings, sharing ideas and recipes.

You’ll have the opportunity to take part in training at our Early Years Chef Academy, where you can train to be a LEYF chef.

You’ll need:

• The right to work in the UK
• A positive attitude and excited to work with children
• Food Hygiene Level 2 or equivalent, or be willing to do the course in the first week of work (paid for by LEYF)

About the nursery

Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, Bird in Bush Nursery and Pre‑School provides Early Years education and care to children from birth to 5 years old. The Nursery is located in Peckham, close to South Bermondsey station. We are a spacious, airy setting, with separate rooms for different age groups and two gardens. The children enjoy science experiments, construction, messy arts play, gardening, cooking and much more.

Apply now

Contact us today, our friendly recruiters are waiting to hear from you.