Kitchen Bar jobs in Potters Bar

Weekend Cook / Chef
Strathmore Lodge Residential Care Home, St Albans
Up to 24.5 hours per week
£14 to £15 per hour, depending on experience

Strathmore Lodge is a friendly, independent residential care home for 19 residents in the heart of St Albans. We are looking for an experienced and confident Cook or Chef to run our kitchen independently during the following shifts.

Friday: 3.00pm to 6.30pm
Saturday: 8.00am to 6.30pm
Sunday: 8.00am to 6.30pm
All breaks are paid

About the Role

Your main responsibility will be to prepare nourishing, tasty, wholesome and well-presented meals for our residents, with occasional staff meals where required.

You will prepare breakfast, lunch and a lighter evening meal at weekends, together with the Friday evening meal. Almost everything is cooked from fresh. This role is ideal for someone who loves cooking and gains real satisfaction from seeing residents eat and enjoy their food. You will manage the kitchen independently, including food preparation, safety, cleaning, stock control and ordering. You will also contribute ideas to menu planning and speak with the residents about their preferences, ensuring meals are nutritious, tasty and well-presented.

You will work independently and have full responsibility for the kitchen during your shifts, without a kitchen assistant. You will therefore need to be confident, organised and able to manage your time effectively. We will provide a thorough induction covering residents’ preferences, kitchen procedures, food safety requirements and areas specific to care catering, including texture-modified diets,

You do not necessarily need to be a qualified chef. The role may also suit an experienced and highly organised home cook who is confident preparing meals in larger quantities. What matters most is that your food is tasty, wholesome and attractively presented, and that you take pride in seeing others enjoy it. You will normally prepare a choice of at least two main meals for up to 19 residents.

Experience Required

Previous experience as a chef or commercial cook would be very welcome, particularly if you are looking for a more personal environment where you can get to know the people enjoying your food. You will have the opportunity to contribute ideas, develop menus and plan your meals and quantities in advance.

This role would suit someone with strong cooking experience, gained either professionally or through many years of preparing meals at home. You must already be confident, competent and able to run a kitchen independently.

Experience in a care home or commercial kitchen is welcome, but not essential if you have the skills, confidence and maturity needed to manage a kitchen alone.

We want our staff to look forward to coming to work. Strathmore Lodge is a warm, friendly home where staff are treated fairly, respected, listened to and included in the life and development of the home.

We have an excellent local reputation and strong relationships with our residents and their families.

You will be joining a stable and supportive home, led by an experienced Registered Manager who values, respects and listens to staff.

If the role sounds right for you, please apply or contact us for an informal chat. We would be delighted to show you around our lovely home.

Strathmore Lodge - Looking after our staff and residents.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Help plan varied menus that reflect residents’ preferences, nutritional needs and dietary requirements, while offering appropriate choice.
• Speak with residents to understand their likes, dislikes and favourite meals
• Cater for special diets, allergies, intolerances and texture-modified meals.
• Maintain a good understanding of nutrition, hydration and appropriate food preparation for older people.
• Follow all food hygiene, health and safety, infection control and kitchen procedures.

About You

We are looking for a friendly, motivated and dependable person who takes pride in high standards and understands that every resident has different preferences and needs. Above all, you should love seeing empty plates and hearing that residents have enjoyed their meals.

ABOUT US

Strathmore Lodge has served the St Albans community for over 40 years. We provide residential, respite and dementia care with a strong focus on dignity, respect and meeting individual needs. Our food is highly praised by residents and families, and the kitchen is a central part of daily life here.

What We Offer

• A warm, respectful and supportive team
• A well-organised kitchen environment
• Paid breaks
• Pension
• Holiday entitlement
• Uniform provided
• A stable workplace with an excellent reputation and long-standing leadership
• A role where your cooking genuinely makes a difference to residents’ daily quality of life
• Free on-site parking
• Meals provided during your shift

Job Types: Full-time/Part Time,

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: £14.00-£15.00 per hour

Expected hours: No more than 24.5 per week

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Referral programme

Application question(s):

• Are you available to work every Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday?
• Please briefly describe your cooking experience and explain why you feel confident preparing meals independently for up to 19 residents.

Experience:

• Cooking for groups or larger households: 2 years (preferred)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person