Job Description

About Us - The Orchard Contract Catering

The Orchard Contract Catering is a small, independent catering company dedicated to providing high-quality, nutritious meals to schools. We take pride in being a close-knit organisation where every team member matters, and where creativity and care go into everything we do.

As a growing company, we support our teams to deliver great food experiences for children every day. To continue this growth, we are looking for a Catering Assistant / Driver to join our team.

The Role

As a Catering Assistant / Driver, you will play an important part in the smooth running of our school catering service. Your day will involve helping with basic food preparation at our production kitchen, supporting with cleaning duties, and ensuring meals are delivered safely and on time to local schools.

You will then assist with serving lunch to children at one of the school sites, helping us provide a warm, welcoming mealtime experience. After service, you will return equipment to the central production kitchen, unload the van, and support with general kitchen tasks as required.

Key Responsibilities

Assisting with simple food preparation in the production kitchen Supporting with general cleaning and kitchen organisation Helping to load and unload the delivery van Delivering meals to local school sites safely and professionally Assisting with lunchtime service at the final school location Maintaining high standards of food safety and hygiene Providing friendly, polite and helpful customer service at all times

About You

We're looking for someone who shares our commitment to providing excellent food and service to children. The ideal candidate will be:

Friendly, reliable and confident communicating with both colleagues and school staff A team player with a positive, can-do attitude Strong communication skills, with the ability to understand and follow written and verbal instructions for food safety, driving and service tasks Confident using a tablet to support safe meal service and complete routine checks Happy working in a fast-paced, hands-on environment Able to carry out light to moderate manual handling tasks Comfortable working as part of a small, supportive team In possession of a full clean manual driving licence and confident driving a medium size van Willing to complete online training, including Food Hygiene and Health & Safety level 2 (training provided) Experience in catering or cleaning (helpful but not essential)

Why Join Orchard?

Term time only - enjoy school holidays off Monday to Friday (no evenings or weekends) Enhanced DBS provided Uniform supplied Supportive leadership and a friendly working atmosphere The chance to be part of a growing, independent company where your contribution is valued

Role Details

Approx. 20 hours per week 38 weeks per year (school term time) 12.21 per hour

Safeguarding

The Orchard Contract Catering is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. An enhanced DBS check will be required for this position.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Expected hours: 20 per week

Benefits:

Free parking On-site parking
Work Location: In person