Casual/ Bank Chef

Casual Hours - kitchen cover during holidays or additional support for events
Depending on experience pay rom £13ph.

Every memorable day out involves great food and drink.

At The Bishop’s Palace, a medieval visitor attraction located in the centre of the City of Wells in Somerset, we believe great hospitality is essential. Our Cafe, The Bishop’s Table, nestles next to the rampart walls with a fantastic view of the Palace. It is enjoyed by day visitors and locals. At the heart of our offer is the delivery of freshly made, great tasting and locally sourced food and drink. We believe this should be accompanied with exceptional customer service with options to cater for all visitors’ expectations - from a quick ‘coffee to go’ to enjoy while exploring the gardens to a celebratory breakfast or Sunday Lunch for the whole family.

As an independent charity (The Palace Trust) we aim to be part of the local community while sharing this wonderful heritage gem with all. It is a positive working environment with a great team across the whole site.

The Role:
We are looking to add some casual cover/ bank Chefs to join our small kitchen team. The Chefs we are looking for would work on an ‘as and when Basis’ and work as part of the kitchen team to produce exceptional food cooked to order. This would be perfect for a Chef who is looking to share their knowledge and experience with a new generation, whilst helping out and benefiting a charity at the heart of Wells.

This role offers the best work/life balance as hours will be on a casual basis. Rotas are planned in advance so you will have notice of workdays. We are looking for several chefs who are happy to be called upon and added to the rota to cover holidays, sickness, days off or to add additional support during high season or events.

The Bishop’s Table offers breakfast, brunch and lunch in the busy cafe. The team work day shifts, generally 8am until 4.30pm. The cafe is open from 9.30am until 5.30pm daily with occasional evenings for special events. Our Kitchen team are responsible for creating menus, ordering and all health, safety and hygiene to ensure an efficient smooth-running kitchen. We are open year-round and part of a busy, historic visitor attraction so welcome both tourists and regular local customers.

Who are we looking for:
We’re looking for Chef with at least 3 years’ experience in a busy kitchen producing fresh food to order.

This might be working 1 or 2 shifts per month or covering one of the chefs’ holidays so could be 8 days out of 14. Shifts could be a full day, or additional cover for a summer lunch time.

You must be a team player, be enthusiastic about creating and producing seasonal menus, be willing to learn and share learning.

Qualifications:
Ideally our Chef would have NVQ L1 or 2 or City and Guilds 7061/7062.
At least 3 years’ experience as a chef in a fast-paced kitchen
Willing to share skills and experience
Excellent communication skills and ability to place orders and maintain kitchen paperwork.

What you will get for the role (including benefits):
You will be working for an independent charity whose main aim is to share, preserve and protect the 800-year Bishop’s Palace, with its medieval buildings, moat and spectacular gardens. We reinvest in the team and the site and work with local community groups and organisations as part of our community engagement.

We are a real living wage employer.
We provide an induction and training plan for each employee from day one.
25-day annual leave
Wellbeing support and access to the organisational Employee Assistance Programme
Positive working environment
Staff Social events
Free admission for yourself and a guest ticket
Opportunity to join the Palace Trust Pension scheme (min of 12% basic pay contribution)
Opportunity to support the local community through volunteer days

To apply please send your CV to recruitment@bishopspalace.org.uk

Applications will be reviewed when received and shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview shortly after.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent, Zero hours contract

Pay: From £13.00 per hour

Expected hours: 4 - 35 per week

Additional pay:

• Tips

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Life insurance
• Paid volunteer time

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Wells: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

• Catering: 3 years (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 28/04/2025
Expected start date: 01/05/2025