Job Description

Love cooking and making a difference?

Your food could be the highlight of their day. As our Nursery Chef, you'll be serving up nutritious meals and warm smiles - fueling little bodies and minds for a day full of learning and play.

About Us

Established in 1993, Cherubs Nurseries is a family-run business on a mission to give all children the personalities, skills and experiences they need to take on the world, without limitations. Central to our approach (inspired by Montessori, Hygge, Reggio and Forest School) is our Community Life work which aims to make the communities we serve better places to live, work and grow up in. From annual fundraising events to community clean ups and a robust Sustainability Action Plan.


We know it takes a village to raise a child and we want our nurseries to be reflective of our communities. We champion diversity in the early years sector and are driven to bring more men into early years, supporting MITEY to achieve a mixed-gender early years workforce.

Why work at Cherubs Nurseries?

Family-run business, but with all the benefits you would expect from a bigger group!

Committed to taking people where they want to go - from personalised professional development pathways to continuous internal training.

Experienced and long-standing teams - plenty of support whilst you get to grips with Cherubs Nurseries.

Opportunity to progress and transfer internally - whether that's within your current nursery or to another team or nursery within the group.

Exceptional early years environments - we heavily invest in our nurseries to ensure they align with our approach and curriculum and are the best places to work for our team.

Proactive and forward-thinking culture - we're committed to making Cherubs Nurseries a great place to work.

About our Nursery

Cherubs Ilkeston is a brand new, modern 72-place nursery. It has a rapidly developing team (due to only opening in September 2024) so there are plenty of opportunities for career progression. The nursery is well-placed with good bus and road links and local amenities within walking distance such as supermarkets and food outlets.

Cherubs Nurseries Rewards and Benefits

30% off childcare at Cherubs Nurseries

Long-service awards for 5+ years service

Annual "Me Day" after 1 year's service

Electric Car Scheme (for those eligible)

Free healthy lunch, made by our Nursery Chef

What you'll be doing

Prepare and cook healthy and nutritious meals and snacks, from approved Cherubs Nurseries' menus Take an active role championing cooking and baking across all areas of the nursery, this could include baking with children and preparing additional food for nursery events including Parent's Evening and Summer Fair Maintain a high standard of hygiene, cleanliness and organisation in the kitchen Ensure good stock rotation in cupboards, fridges and freezers. Ensure correct temperature of all food, especially high-risk food before service Be aware of health and safety legislation which is relevant to the nursery kitchen. Attend both in-house and external training, as required. Some of this may be outside of working hours, for example on a weekend. Take the lead in Environmental Health Inspections where you will aspire to achieve a '5' grading.

Passionate about giving children the best start in life? So are we. If you're nurturing, dedicated, and ready to help little minds grow, we'd love to welcome you to our team. Apply now and start making a difference every single day.


Disclaimer: Cherubs Nurseries is committed to upholding a safe and compliant workforce and business. All roles require: the right to work in the United Kingdom, the completion of a "Keeping Children Safe" Form, a DBS and at least 2 satisfactory employment references. Some roles may also require a 5-year employment history.