Second Chef Bank

Care Uk; Westhay; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Alternate weekends

Competitive pay

Career progression

Refer a friend bonus

Training to develop skills

Bank holiday enhancements

Cycle to work

Free DBS

Employee discounts

EAP 24/7 support

Job summary

Care UK is seeking a Second Chef to join a high-paced care-home kitchen. You will support the Head Chef, run the kitchen when they are away, and help develop nutritious menus using local produce to meet dietary needs.

You will need a Catering Diploma and NVQ in cookery, plus Food Hygiene Certificates. The role offers strong training, good work–life balance and clear paths to senior roles.

Qualifications

• As well as catering skills, you should have formal cookery qualifications and be able to plan nutritious menus.
• Knowledge of dietary needs and residents' dietary restrictions is essential.
• Experience in a care home or similar environment is advantageous but not required.

Responsibilities

• Assist Head Chef and help run the kitchen in their absence.
• Use modern kitchen equipment and local produce to design diet-sensitive meals.
• Contribute to menu development and resident consultations.
• Maintain kitchen discipline and ensure timely, quality food delivery.

Skills

Teamwork

Menu planning

Dietary requirements

Education

Catering Diploma (City & Guilds/BTEC)

NVQ 2/3 in practical cookery

Health and Safety certificate

Job description

If you’re an aspiring chef with experience gained in a high paced kitchen environment and are looking for a rewarding role offering great training, work life balance and the chance to be part of a catering team that are award winning, join Care UK as a Second Chef and make a real difference.

Being a Second Chef at Care UK

Second Chefs at Care UK are great at working with others. They enjoy sharing information and raising standards through culinary development, innovation and new ideas. They have access to a large supply chain for all catering requirements and the autonomy to create nutritious well balanced menus for everyone. They’re self-motivated, flexible, enthusiastic and happy to take responsibility for resolving issues that arise. And, they know how to maintain team discipline and morale within the kitchen. Do you have the same sort of attributes? Then we could have just the role for you.

What you’ll be doing

Being a Second Chef isn’t just about helping the Head Chef ensure food is prepared to the agreed standard and that deadlines are met. It’s about taking control of running the kitchen in their absence. It's about using modern kitchen equipment and fresh local produce to develop full diet sensitive meals for residents so they can enjoy the same flavour and nutrition. And it's about helping to come up with menus, consulting with residents to ensure their needs and choices are met and preparing food in line with specific diets. Put simply, it’s about making a difference. A real difference.

What you’ll need

As well as a Catering Diploma (City & Guilds/BTEC) and NVQ 2/3 in practical cookery and Health and Safety. Food Hygiene Certificates (minimum level 2) are essential. You’ll also need good knowledge of nutritionally balanced menu planning and a proven ability to cater for specific dietary needs. And, if you’ve worked in a care home and/or have experience of stock control or working with a budget, even better (but not essential). Above all, you have a natural ability to help make the lives of others more fulfilling and want to work in an environment where the work can be hard, but also fun and rewarding.

The benefits

• Alternate weekend working and socilabe working hours
• Competitive rates of pay – we continuously review pay in your local market
• Opportunities to progress through our personalised career paths into Head Chef opportunities
• Competitive refer a friend scheme of up to £1000 depending on role
• Quality and free training to help develop and enhance your skills
• Bank holiday enhancements
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free DBS
• Thousands of online and in-store discounts across big known retailers enabling our colleagues to make big savings on every day shopping such as holidays, supermarkets and travel.
• Employee Assistance Programme – Immediate access to a confidential telephone counselling and legal information service which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to include support such as financial and family concerns

One of the UK’s leading care home providers, Care UK run over 120 homes and day clubs across the UK that provide residential, nursing, dementia and end-of-life care for older people. A top rated employer in best quality results, our goal is to help every employee fulfil their potential by providing first-class training and support.

Fulfilling lives, fulfilling Careers.