To cook nutritionally balanced, healthy meals for nursery children aged between 4 months and 5 years. We also cater for those with allergy related conditions, and for different types of dietary requirements suited to a wide range of cultural and religious customs and beliefs

Main Responsibilities

1. Plan seasonal 4-weekly menus for approval by the management team and adhere to agreed published menus. Ensure that all dietary issues relating to cultural or medical needs are accommodated within the menu plan, ingredient list etc.
2. Ensure that special meals as listed in the above are clearly identifiable when served to the children and to ensure that the Room Leaders have a full understanding of which meal is for which child.
3. Compile a shopping list weekly for management by no later than 4pm on the Wednesday of every week, considering the current stock.
4. Prepare & serve all meals; wash-up crockery and cutlery and have identifiable workflow process in place to separate clean from dirty.
5. To be responsible for all aspects of hygiene etc. within the kitchen area to Regulatory Services (Environmental Health) requirements. Report breakages and request replacements or maintenance in a timely fashion.
6.  Adhere to stringent standards of hygiene during all aspects of food purchase, preparation, serving and storage.
7. Ensure all food is served on time and at times defined by the Nursery Managers.
8. Maintain and complete accurate food records as required by regulatory services and retain existing annual food hygiene award from FSA.
9. Ensure all fresh food is used within labeled dates, either by pureeing or prepping if unused during the weekly cooking process.
10. Liaise with all team leaders regarding the dietary needs of all children.
11.  Liaise closely with the Crawlers team leader concerning children who are weaning.
12. Bring in the milk delivery timely on each delivery day so that the temperature of the milk is sustained.
13. Assist all rooms in taking meals to those rooms and collecting trays from those rooms.
14. Be responsible for all health and safety matters in the kitchen.
15. To contribute to and attend his/her supervision meetings and appraisal.
16. To attend any training events or team meetings.
17. To ensure adherence to the nursery's Staff Handbook and all policies and procedures.
18. To perform any other duties as deemed necessary by the Manager/Deputy.
19. Friendly, flexible approach and the ability to liaise with other members of the team.
20. This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will also be required to carry out any other duties which may reasonably be required of you.

Knowledge, skill and experience required:

• Experience of cooking for babies and for children aged under 5 years.
• At least 3 years professional catering experience.
• Practical understanding of the current Food Hygiene legislation and ability to demonstrate adherence to stringent food hygiene standards.
• Experience of managing a budget.
• Attain and keep the level 3 food hygiene certification.
• Attend any other relevant courses such as allergy awareness etc, as prescribed by the nursery managers.
• Experience of completing food hygiene documentation such as temperature logs etc.
• Understanding of HACCP and COSSH procedures.
• Excellent teamwork skills.