Chef Apprenticeship

Summary

Are you ready to turn your hand to new skills? We’re looking for a motivated individual to join our team as an Apprentice Chef – helping our kitchen team make amazing food for our guests.

Wage

£16,926 a year

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

Hours

Shift work including evenings and weekends, exact shifts to be confirmed.

30 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 14 July 2026

Duration

1 year 3 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

We’re on the lookout for a Production Chef to join our team!

Prep, create and bring our pub menu to life. Got a passion for food? You’ll fit right in. From learning new prepping skills, bringing a meal to life for the first time, to owning a section of the kitchen.

As a Production Chef: There’s plenty to get involved with whilst growing your career and developing skills that you can take home.

• Experience in a similar Chef role or an experienced KP
• Know or be willing to learn about the kitchen areas and procedures
• Work within a team in a fast-paced environment
• Help to support the kitchen team with the day to day running of the kitchen
• Have a passion to deliver great, hot food to spec each and every time

What comes next is up to you: We’ll support you to complete your Chef
Development Programme with the goal of becoming a Sous Chef.

What you get from us: You’ll be joining an award-winning local pub company that puts people first, lives by people-led values, and offers real opportunities to advance your career - with genuine benefits that include:

• 30% off at all our pubs, restaurants, and hotels
• A reliable hours contract, to give you the security you deserve
• Refuel at work with our £4.50 meal deal option whilst on shift, including popular menu dishes plus a drink
• Flexible and part time hours offered to work around your family or higher education
• Marston’s Cheers Reward & Recognition Platform (earn points to spend for living and breathing our values and behaviours and access high street retailer discounts)
• Health Screening Discounts
• Long Service Awards
• Gym Discounts
• 24-hour GP helpline
• Mortgage Advice and support
• Fantastic range of apprenticeship programmes to support your career
• A friendly and lively atmosphere, working alongside passionate and diverse teammates
• Access to Licensed Trade Charity for financial, mental, and emotional well-being support

Come as you are. Personality counts for more than anything else here. We’ll accept you and celebrate you for being you. We can’t wait to see what we can make happen together. Marston’s could be the making of you.

Marston’s. Where people make pubs.

At Marston’s, you will be working towards your Chef Academy Production Chef Level 2 Apprenticeship qualification over the course of 15 months.

Where you'll work

1 Yewtree Avenue
Dagenham
RM10 7FN

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

LIFETIME TRAINING GROUP LIMITED

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

What you'll learn

• Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
• Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
• Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
• Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
• Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Use feedback to improve own performance.
• Prepare and close down an area for service.
• Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
• Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
• Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
• Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
• Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
• Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
• Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.
• Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
• Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
• Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
• Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
• Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Use feedback to improve own performance.
• Prepare and close down an area for service.
• Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
• Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
• Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
• Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
• Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
• Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
• Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Customer care skills
• Team working