Cook

This is a fantastic opportunity to use your culinary and organisation skills in a friendly, supportive work environment while working flexibly. If youre passionate about fresh, seasonal and natural ingredients, love preparing vegetarian meals and can bake cakes, this could be for you.

Our Client

Established in 1998, our client is a successful, award winning landscape design practice with an international reputation for making gardens that combine naturalism and modernity. They are based in a beautiful setting overlooking their vegetable plots and plant library.

They are currently seeking a friendly, organised and proactive in-house cook to join their friendly and welcoming team.

The Role

Cooking

• As in-house cook, you will prepare five delicious delicious vegetarian lunches a week for the team of landscape architects and garden designers. The team is 25 in total, but on a day-to-day basis youd be catering for between 12-18 people. Part of the role would be baking cakes for studio birthdays and garden visits and catering for studio guests and events hosted on site.
• The role is looking for someone who is passionate about cooking and using homegrown organic ingredients from the studio vegetable garden when available.
• Youll have use of an incredible on-site kitchen on Mondays and Fridays, which looks out on to the studio vegetable plots and plant library. On Tues, Weds and Thurs youll be cooking in the Studio kitchen, where the design team is based.
• Each lunch should take no longer than 2-3 hours to prepare, depending on numbers. Its all about healthy homecooked family-style food, with big flavours, lots of variety and lots of fresh herbs! Theres no need for restaurant style presentation.

Housekeeping

There will also be an element of housekeeping included in this role, to ensure the studio and kitchens always look and work to their best. This will involve organising and maintaining fridges, cupboards and kitchens, ensuring adherence to food safety and hygiene standards, and managing waste and composting, coordinating rubbish collections, and overseeing the studio team in taking out the rubbish. Additionally, you will be the point of contact for the studios cleaning services, handle general housekeeping tasks, and manage the ordering of cleaning products and other necessary supplies.

The Candidate

As in-house cook, youll have:

• Proven experience and/or training in catering for large groups (professional or home-based).
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 2) or willingness to obtain one.
• A willingness to take full ownership of kitchen organisation, cleanliness and maintenance.
• Proficiency in planning meals, managing stocks and orders and working to a defined studio budget.
• Confidence in using online grocery ordering systems (e.g. Ocado).
• Ability to adjust daily menus to dietary needs and studio staff allergies/intolerances.
• Food / larder stock management skills.
• Ability to organise waste collection, composting and coordinate with the studio cleaner.
• Ability to manage time effectively and work with initiative under minimal supervision.
• A passion for using fresh ingredients and the ability to incorporate them into dishes seasonally.
• Ability to bake cakes for garden visits and studio birthdays.

Terms

• The role is seeking 20-25 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with flexible hours arranged around the daily cooking of lunch.
• A salary of up to £35k fte pro rata for hours worked is on offer.
• The role is based in afriendly, warm and supportive work environment.
• Yearly continued professional development allowance.
• 23 days holiday plus bank holidays pro rata for hours worked, increasing with time at the company.
• Free on-site parking