Assistant Chef

Job description

Job DescriptionJoin Our Team at Busy Bees – Leading Nursery Group in the UK

Are you passionate about cooking and providing nutritious meals for young children? As an Assistant Chef at Busy Bees, you’ll play a vital role in our kitchen team, preparing healthy meals that support children’s growth and development. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a nurturing environment where you will contribute to the wellbeing of children while gaining valuable experience in catering within the early years sector.

About Us

Busy Bees is the UK’s leading nursery group, with nearly 400 nurseries across the UK and more overseas. We are dedicated to giving every child the best start in life and are proud to have won awards for our workplace culture. At Busy Bees, we ensure that every member of our team feels heard, valued, and nurtured.

Why Choose Busy Bees?

We believe in taking care of our team just as much as we take care of the children. Here are some of the fantastic benefits you can enjoy:

• Competitive salary
• Ongoing professional development and career progression
• Access to our ‘Hive’ benefits and wellbeing hub, with discounts across a huge range of retailers
• Up to 28 days holiday per year (including bank holidays)
• Your birthday off – it’s our gift to you!
• 25% childcare discount
• Enhanced family leave and return to work bonus
• Menopause support through Peppy
• Financial support through Salary Finance
• Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Easy access to your workplace pension through Cushon
• Discounted Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

But wait, there’s more! You’ll also enjoy access to our Benefits and Wellbeing platform, Hive, offering a huge array of retail discounts to help your money go further. Plus, our Wellbeing Hub features resources to support your physical and mental health. We also have a Celebrating You section showcasing the ways we recognize and reward our valued team members, along with a dedicated Grow with Us area sharing exciting development opportunities and training designed to support you to thrive and grow at Busy Bees.

Role Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals that meet dietary requirements for children.
• Support the Chef in overseeing kitchen operations and maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ensure kitchen inventory is well-maintained and assist with ordering and stock management.
• Support meal preparation and assist in the cleaning and maintenance of kitchen equipment.

Required Qualifications

Ideal Candidate:

• Experience in leadership within early years settings is preferred.
• Strong mentoring and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance.

If you have a passion for leading teams and supporting quality education, apply today!

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

basingstoke

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

04-11-2026

Profession type

Manufacturing / Industrial

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English