Restaurant jobs in Kirtlington

Sparkling Minds Pre-School & Day Nursery are looking for a happy and friendly cook to join our small team. Responsibilities include preparing delicious meals each day for the children, following allergies and special dietary requirements. This is an exciting opportunity to combine your love for cooking with a commitment to nurturing young minds and bodies.

You should be able to work independently, adhering to setting Health & Safety and food hygiene policies and procedures while also having a strong understanding of safer food requirements. In this role, you will be responsible for preparing nutritious, appealing, and age-appropriate meals that support the health and development of young children. Your culinary expertise will ensure that mealtimes are enjoyable, safe, and aligned with dietary guidelines.

We have existing meus that rotate over a three-week period, however, you could create new menus should you feel your creativity and expertise could improve the healthy recipes for our little ones with their ever changing tastebuds!

Whether you’re an experienced nursery cook or looking to bring new catering skills into an early year’s environment we would love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Help to plan and prepare balanced meals and snacks tailored to the dietary needs of children in the nursery setting
• Ensure all food preparation adheres to food safety standards and hygiene regulations
• Manage kitchen operations efficiently, including ingredient sourcing, storage, and inventory control
• Serve meals in a timely manner
• Collaborate with nursery staff to accommodate special dietary requirements or allergies
• Maintain cleanliness of kitchen equipment and food preparation areas throughout each shift
• Follow all health and safety protocols to prevent cross-contamination and ensure a safe environment for children

Qualifications/Skills/Experience

• Ideal but not essential - Proven experience in food preparation and cooking, ideally within a childcare, nursery, or similar setting
• Strong knowledge of food safety practices and hygiene standards
• Hands-on kitchen experience with meal preparation for groups of children or similar age groups
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Good communication skills to collaborate effectively with nursery staff and caregivers
• Ideal but not essential: prior restaurant or catering experience, familiarity with serving meals in educational settings, or culinary certifications

Hours

Monday – Friday 8.30am-4pm with 30 min unpaid break (*option to start at 9am each day if more suitable and an earlier finish on Fridays – 8am/9am – 2pm with a 15 min unpaid break)

The organisation’s normal operating hours are Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year – closure for Bank Holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year.

Pay: £20,787.00-£23,660.00 per year

Benefits:

• Free parking
• On-site parking

Experience:

• Cooking: 1 year (preferred)

Language:

• English (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person