Kitchen Assistant/ Cook - Beechenhurst Café

Thrive in a career in the Forest with exciting progression opportunities, sociable working hours and an inspiring working environment with beautiful surroundings.

We are welcoming applications from brilliant local people to join our team at the Beechenhurst Café.

Our portfolio of Life Cafés are located in parks, forests and community venues across the UK.

The Beechenhurst Forest Café serves the visitors of the Forestry England venue, comprising a wide demographic of customers. Our aim is to provide a café environment that compliments and mirrors the excellence of the Forest in all aspects, and ensures visitors have a well-rounded experience. Our food and drink ethos centres around Barista-crafted coffee and freshly prepared dishes with classic flavours and crowd-pleasing concepts – All executed to the highest of standards.

We are looking for a flexible Kitchen Assistant/ Cook to join the Beechenhurst Forest team on a part-time basis (working flexibility of hours can be discussed at interview). Ideally you have good availability weekends and school holidays, when we are busiest.

This is mainly a daytime, sociable hours role, working between 8am - 6pm. This role does include weekend work.

As Kitchen Assistant/ Cook you will:

· Already have proven knowledge of stock control, food hygiene and health & safety

· Good experience of working within a high-volume and quick service environment.

· Have a positive and enthusiastic attitude

· Possess strong knowledge of working with fresh local produce

· Have excellent attention to detail

· Be responsible for producing excellent quality food

· Be looking to join a friendly kitchen team where there is lots of opportunity to progress further – We will train you in other areas of the operation to progress your skillset further

About you:

You will be positive, energetic and professional and willing to go above and beyond to ensure our customers receive consistently outstanding food, drink and service.

You will be inspired and motivated by our company values and ambitions for the café, while being a supportive team member to help to create an enjoyable place to work and visit.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to join our growing team of wonderful individuals with a passion for hospitality.

What can we offer?

• Real progression opportunities – We have a focus on promoting from within. You bring the passion; we bring the promotion! There are plenty of opportunities to progress and work in sites across the country.
• Sociable hours – A kitchen role with a difference! We serve daytime visitors to popular destinations, so most of our cafés close in the early evening.
• Development and mentoring programme – Receive 1-2-1 support from established team members within the company. We will also provide practical and theoretical training, such as Level 2/3 Food Hygiene, Allergen Awareness, First Aid and more.
• Food and drink – Enjoy complimentary Life Café Coffee and freshly made food while on shift
• You’re amongst friends – We always aim to foster a positive and supportive team environment, where everyone feels welcome, accepted and appreciated.

Life Cafés are on a mission to bring 'Life' to community-rich environments across the UK, by serving up freshly-made food and drink with our unique concept that embraces the individuality and excellence of our much-loved parks and green spaces.

We're passionate about championing and celebrating the intricacies of each and every café, through tailored decor, thoughtfully engineered menus and meaningful engagement and collaboration with communities and stakeholders.

From bustling and vibrant urban parks to quaint visitor centres in rustic landscapes, our operations encapsulate the location and character of visitor destinations across the country.

Please note, the pay rates advertised are applicable from April 2026.

Life Cafés are an equal opportunities employer. Applications from all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Pay: £9.15-£13.21 per hour

Benefits:

• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Store discount

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Coleford GL16 7EJ: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

• kitchen: 1 year (required)

Work Location: In person