Senior Catering Assistant

South West Larder: Togetherness, Nurture, Pride, Planet

Full Time: 39 hours a week - with daytime hours, no late-night restaurant finishes, occasional weekends

Full and Part Time Positions available

Salary: £13.68 per hour

Location: Royal Portbury Dock Rd, Bristol BS20 7XJ

If you’re looking for a catering role where you can do great work while still having your evenings, we’d love to hear from you.

Want to work for a company where Togetherness, Nurture, Pride and Planet are at the heart of everything they do? Then look no further, Somerset Larder produces fresh food and meals to go using locally sourced ingredients from all over the west country. Our philosophy is to nourish the community with amazing produce, to employ local people and to train apprentices for future careers in the catering and hospitality sector.

At Somerset Larder, our Values have been set by our staff. Our Values exist for the good of our working lives and company performance. Our Values are:

• Togetherness - “Be a tractor not a trailer.”
• Nurture - “You grow, I grow, we grow.”
• Pride - “We can and we will”
• Planet - “We’re part of a bigger picture”

Job Description

Purpose of the Role

To support the efficient operation of the kitchen and catering service by assisting with food preparation, basic cooking, food service, customer care, and delivery activities. The role ensures that high standards of food quality, hygiene, safety, and customer service are consistently maintained while supporting colleagues across kitchen and front-of-house operations.

Key Responsibilities

Food Preparation & Production

• Assist with the preparation, cooking, and presentation of food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, hospitality, and buffet services.
• Prepare ingredients, sandwiches, salads, snacks, and hot meals in line with recipes, specifications, and customer requirements.
• Support chefs in all aspects of food production to ensure meals are delivered to agreed quality standards.
• Assist with portioning, packing, and labelling food items for service or delivery.
• Ensure all food is handled, stored, and prepared in accordance with food safety and allergen procedures .

Customer Service & Food Service

• Provide a friendly, professional, and welcoming service to customers at all times.
• Serve food, beverages, and retail products while maintaining high standards of presentation.
• Operate tills, cashless payment systems, and EPOS equipment where required.
• Respond to customer enquiries and assist in resolving service issues promptly and professionally.
• Support catering operations across restaurants, coffee shops, hospitality events, retail outlets, and service counters.

Delivery & Stock Support

• Assist with receiving, checking, and storing deliveries in accordance with company procedures.
• Support the preparation and loading of food orders for delivery to customers and service locations.
• Undertake delivery duties where required, ensuring food is transported safely and efficiently.
• Help maintain accurate stock rotation and storage practices, including adherence to FIFO principles.
• Report stock shortages, quality concerns, or delivery discrepancies to management.

Hygiene, Safety & Compliance

• Maintain a clean, safe, and organised kitchen and service environment.
• Clean equipment, utensils, workstations, food preparation areas, and dining spaces to required standards.
• Complete cleaning schedules, temperature checks, and food safety records accurately.
• Follow all Food Safety, HACCP, Health & Safety, COSHH, and company procedures.
• Support waste management and sustainability initiatives, ensuring waste is disposed of correctly.

Teamwork & General Duties

• Work collaboratively with kitchen, delivery, and front-of-house teams to ensure smooth daily operations.
• Assist colleagues during busy periods and support other catering areas as required.
• Contribute to a positive working environment through professional communication and teamwork.
• Participate in training and development activities to enhance skills and knowledge.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties appropriate to the role .

Qualifications

• Food Safety 2 within 30 days of starting work
• Health and Safety Qualification (desirable)
• Relevant catering or hospitality qualification (desirable).
• First Aid qualification (desirable).

Skills / Knowledge / Experience Required

• Previous experience in a catering, kitchen, hospitality, or food service environment preferred.
• Basic food preparation and cooking skills.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Good organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Understanding of food safety, hygiene, and allergen management.
• Reliable, flexible, and able to work independently or as part of a team.

Additional Information

Employee Benefits Menu

At Somerset Larder, we believe our people are the secret ingredient to our success. Here’s a flavourful look at the benefits we’ve cooked up for our amazing team:

Generous Time Off

Savour a well-balanced blend of work and personal time with our generous annual leave allowance (30 days including bank holidays)

Pension Contributions with Extra Spice

Prepare for your future with a pension plan that goes beyond the basics – 5% from you, matched with a hearty 5% from us

Life Assurance

Our life assurance plan is here to provide peace of mind, so you can focus on serving up excellence

Cycle Scheme

Get a healthy and eco-friendly start to each day with our cycle scheme – perfect for working up an appetite!

Comprehensive Family Leave Benefits

When life serves up big changes, we’re here to support you with a menu of family leave benefits designed so you can make memories as you care for your family.

Free Food and Drink on Shift

Enjoy a daily free meal/drink so you can fuel up and stay energised.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)/Mental Health First Aiders

Tap into our 24/7, all-year round helpline and portal Wisdom, loaded with resources on health, finances, legal advice and lifestyle tips – a full menu of support options

Christmas Shutdown

Relax during the festive period whilst the operation is closed between Christmas and New Year – a rarity for the Hospitality industry (option to volunteer for skeleton staffing)

Learning, Development and Apprenticeship Opportunities

Stir up new skills with a range of development and apprenticeship opportunities to help you grow your career and cook up success in the culinary world.

Access to Occupational Health

As a perk of being part of the HPC project, you will have access to Health Partners, the UK’s leading provider of workplace health services

Refer a Friend Scheme

Use our employee referral programme and benefit financially by adding people from your professional network to our workforce.

Monthly Recognition: A Toast to you

Each month, we raise a glass to our star team members who go above and beyond, as nominated by their colleagues

Long Service Awards

Celebrate the milestones! Receive our heartfelt gratitude and special recognition at your 5- and 10-year anniversaries

Annual Team Awards

Join us for our annual awards event as we honour the outstanding contributions and achievements of our team. It’s our way of saying cheers to you!

This benefits menu is our recipe for a rewarding and fulfilling career, where you can develop your talents and delight in the journey ahead.

Pre-Employment Screening

Successful applicants will be required to provide a three-year employment history and five-year address history to work on Hinkley Point C.

They must be able to provide in date photographic ID and their right to work in the UK so that security clearance can be obtained as these roles are based on a nuclear regulated site.