Kitchen Assistant

Application Deadline

Sunday, November 29, 2026

Location

Rickmansworth, WD3 4EG

Salary

£12.71 per hour

Positions Available

1

Hours per week

30

Job Summary

Do you love cooking wholesome meals and want to make a meaningful impact on children’s lives? We’re looking for a Kitchen Assistant based at our Boys & Girls Nursery in Rickmansworth.

Our Kitchen Assistant will work 30 hours per week, Monday to Friday (all year round), alongside our Chef, as well as supporting the children in the room over lunch times. Working hours are 11:00-17:00.

About the role:

As a Kitchen Assistant, you’ll:

• Ensure all meals are prepared in accordance with the weekly menus, catering for all children
• Where appropriate, provide alternatives to children with any special dietary needs
• Ensure that all food preparation complies with health regulations and guidelines though working practices and record keeping
• Be responsible for assisting the Chef in safely delivering the food to each individual nursery room
• Ensure effective communication regarding allergies and special dietary requirements
• Ensure that the kitchen and all equipment is kept clean and tidy, including washing up after each service
• Assist in the participation and preparation of our “Let’s Cook” programme with the children and develop good working relationships with the wider staff team
• Cover the Chef during periods of absence and be responsible for taking on the duties of cooking for the nursery and ensuring the smooth running of the day

About you:

Our Kitchen Assistant will have:

• A knowledge and understanding of healthy eating programmes for children and cooking healthy meals
• A passion for offering children a varied and nutritious diet and want to make a difference through your role.
• A strong ‘can do’ attitude and willingness to support the nursery team to achieve the best outcomes for our children, by providing meals which support a healthy diet.
• Experience in working as a Kitchen Assistant and / or have cooking experience in a nursery or school environment however this is not essential
• An awareness of dietary requirements, although this isn’t essential as full training will be provided along with a free Food Hygiene certificate if the successful candidate does not already have one.

Rewarding careers:

We’re committed to nurturing talent and supporting career progression into nursery management roles. Through tailored development plans, mentoring from experienced leaders, and access to accredited training programmes, we empower our team members to grow their leadership skills and take the next step in their careers.

We welcome applicants from under-represented groups including men and offer a competitive range of benefits that aren’t just perks—they are part of a culture that puts people first. They support us build a workplace where you’re empowered to thrive every day and where you’ll feel valued.

We're building a workplace where our colleagues thrive

We offer a range of meaningful benefits designed to support your wellbeing, professional growth, and work-life balance. Our benefits aren’t just perks—they’re part of a culture that puts people first and we continue to build our range of benefits designed to support health, wellbeing and the odd treat here and there…these include:

• £12.71 per hour

• Pension & Life Assurance*

• In addition to 20 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays and more!**

• An additional day each year to celebrate something personal to you*

• Funded DBS Update Service

• Funded Blue Light Card Membership

• Access to digital GP 24/7 with on-demand counselling services

• Extensive Health and Wellbeing services through the SPARK APP

• Recognition and celebration for Long Service

• Subject to eligibility criteria

**up to an additional four gifted days off during Christmas closedown or if the setting is open 52-weeks of the year, an additional four days to your annual leave entitlement, pro rata

Safeguarding commitment:

Happy Days Nurseries are committed to the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care. All successful candidates will undergo the required vetting process.

HDN_LOW