Become an Apprentice Nursery Cook with the Care and Learning Group

About the Role

Work alongside our cook in a busy daycare, preparing meals and managing allergy and hygiene practices. We are invested in your training, helping you build skills towards a recognised qualification to progress in our growing company.

Wage

• £26,436.80 a year.
• Starting rate of £12.71 per hour.
• Attractive bonus scheme to reward team members for their hard work.

Training

• Course: Production chef (level 2)
• Provider: THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD

Working Hours

• Monday to Friday, daytime hours to cover nursery meal times.
• No evening or weekend work required.
• Specific shift patterns will be discussed at interview.
• 40 hours a week.

Start and Duration

• Start date: Monday 7 September 2026
• Duration: 1 year
• Positions available: 1

Job Responsibilities

• Preparing daily, nutritionally appropriate meals for children aged 0 to 5
• Supporting the nursery team with allergy management
• Assisting with menu planning and budgeting
• Adhering to health and safety regulations and strict hygienic practices
• Keeping the nursery kitchen clean and organised
• Working alongside the experienced nursery cook to gain kitchen skills

Training Details

Course Contents:

• Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
• Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
• Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
• Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
• Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Use feedback to improve own performance.
• Prepare and close down an area for service.
• Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
• Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
• Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
• Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
• Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
• Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
• Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.