Nursery Cook / Chef

Childbase Partnership Ltd; Reading; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days leave

Childcare discounts

Long-service rewards

Wellbeing support

Apprenticeships and training

Job summary

Childbase Partnership Ltd seeks a Nursery Cook at Green Park Day Nursery, Reading. The role serves meals for up to 105 children aged 6 weeks to 5 years, on a fixed-term contract ending May 2027, with 37.5 hours per week across 52 weeks.

You will work Monday to Friday, alternating shifts 07:30-16:00 and 09:00-17:30, preparing wholesome meals from a set menu, ensuring allergy-friendly options, and helping manage the kitchen with the Nursery Manager and Kitchen Assistant.

Qualifications

• Professional catering experience and ability to prepare meals from a set-menu using fresh ingredients, with allergy-friendly options.
• Attention to detail with COSHH, allergens, manual handling and health legislation to maintain hygiene standards.
• Safeguarding mindset to meet dietary needs and promote healthy eating.
• Collaborative kitchen budgeting and leadership with the Nursery Manager and Kitchen Assistant.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook wholesome meals from the set menu for up to 105 children.
• Lead and mentor the Kitchen Assistant and collaborate with the Nursery Manager on budget management.
• Maintain 5-star hygiene standards and comply with health and safety requirements.
• Provide suitable alternatives for allergies and dietary requirements.

Skills

Catering experience

Food hygiene

Attention to detail

Allergen knowledge

COSHH knowledge

Team leadership

Food safety

Education

Food Hygiene training

Job description

Job Introduction

Join Childbase Partnership and be part of something extraordinary.

Role: Nursery Cook | Catering for up to 105 children aged 6 weeks-5 years old.

Location: Green Park Day Nursery | Reading | RG2 6UQ (on Green Park Business Park).

Contract: Fixed-term contract ending at the end of May 2027 | 37.5 hours/week | 52 weeks/year.

Working pattern: Monday-Friday | Alternating shifts of 07:30-16:00 and 09:00-17:30.

Salary: £25,330.50-£31,200 per annum (pro-rata) | £12.99-£16.00 per hour.

We’ve been delivering childcare excellence since 1989. Within our 44-day nurseries, Head Office, and Training Academy, EduBase, our ethos is simple: we all belong, we all matter, and we all contribute. We believe in ‘careers, not jobs’, supporting one another to grow and succeed.

Why join us?

• Generous annual leave: 23 days paid leave per annum (pro-rata), rising to 28 days with length of service, plus paid bank holidays.
• Work-life balance: Up to a further 20 paid days off each year through our Partnership Reward Days incentive; take your leave or sell the days you accrue, tax-free.
• Family childcare savings: If you have children or grandchildren, there's the potential for you to benefit from generously discounted childcare at Childbase Partnership nurseries, with savings of 75% for parents, and 40% for grandparents, depending on your contracted hours.
• Exclusive partner benefits: Long-service rewards, qualification bonuses and retail discounts.
• Wellbeing support: Free meals, mental health and occupational health support, flu jabs, eye care vouchers and a free will-writing service.
• Career development: Team inset days, access to online training and apprenticeships through our academy.

About Us

• We are employee-owned: Every colleague is a partner with a voice, who helps drive our success; when we do well, we each receive an annual tax-free dividend.
• We are number 1: Ranked top of the Nursery World league tables for our Ofsted outcomes.
• We are community driven: Supporting causes close to our hearts, we’ve raised more than £3.5 million for charity.
• We are environmentally responsible: Building a greener tomorrow our nurseries all hold Green Flag awards and are powered by 100% renewable energy.

About You

• You are passionate about preparing wholesome, healthy meals: You have professional catering experience and can prepare and cook a range of foods from a set-menu, using fresh ingredients, providing suitable alternatives for children with allergies and dietary requirements.
• You are diligent: Your attention to detail, knowledge of COSHH, allergens, manual handling and environmental health legislation, alongside your Food Hygiene training, will ensure you, your Co-Cook and the Kitchen Assistant maintain 5-star hygiene standards within your kitchen.
• You are an advocate for safeguarding: You will ensure the well-being and dietary needs of every child are met and their understanding of healthy eating is promoted.
• You are collaborative: In partnership with the Nursery Manager and your Co-Cook, you will contribute towards the profitability of the nursery by managing the kitchen budget, build respectful relationships with colleagues, children and parents and effectively lead and mentor the Kitchen Assistant.

We are an inclusive employer and we welcome applicants of all ages and backgrounds. We’re committed to FREDIE (fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion, and engagement) and will consider any reasonable adjustments required. If you meet the essential criteria for this role, your application will be automatically shortlisted for review by our Recruitment Team who will determine if an interview is the next step.

Applicants must currently reside within a commutable distance of the nursery and hold suitable Right to Work in the UK; VISA sponsorship is not available. Safer recruitment checks apply, which include an Enhanced DBS check.