Apprentice Chef

Summary

Start your culinary journey at Poplar Farm Bar and Restaurant as an Apprentice Chef. Learn directly from the Head Chef while preparing seasonal, locally sourced meals. Build practical kitchen skills, understand allergens and dietary needs, and gain insight into professional kitchen standards.

Wage

£11,778 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Your apprenticeship wage will be reviewed as you learn and develop your skills.

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

Hours

Hours of work can vary slightly, and will be flexible between the opening times of: Tuesday – Thursday 17.30–20.00 Friday – 12.00–14.30 and 17.30–20.00 Saturday – 12.00-20.30 Sunday – 12.00-16.00

30 hours a week

Start date

Friday 1 August 2025

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

At Poplar Farm Bar and Restaurant, we’re passionate about great food and friendly service. Join our kitchen team and support the Head Chef with a variety of tasks in a fast-paced, hands-on role:

Help with preparing ingredients – chopping, slicing, and portioning to maintain consistent standards
Cook and present a range of dishes to recipe and quality guidelines, ensuring every plate looks and tastes great
Maintain food hygiene standards, including correct storage, cleaning, and allergen awareness
Support stock rotation, checks, and storage to keep ingredients fresh and reduce waste
Collaborate with the kitchen and front-of-house teams to ensure a smooth and efficient service
Follow all safety practices – from safe knife handling to correct use of kitchen equipment
Assist with food plating and service during busy periods to keep things running smoothly
Take part in structured training to build your cooking skills, kitchen know-how, and career potential
Engage with customers on occasion, offering menu advice and friendly service when required
Handle fast-paced service and last-minute changes with a calm, flexible attitude

You may also get the chance to work at our sister pub, The Old Chequers Inn in Croft, near Skegness (PE24 4PF), offering a chance to develop even more valuable experience.

Where you'll work

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

The Old Chequers Inn, Lyme Bank Croft, Skegness, PE24 4PF
POPLAR FARM, CHAPEL LANE, ADDLETHORPE, SKEGNESS, PE24 4TG

Training

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

College or training organisation

TEC PARTNERSHIP

Your training course

Production chef (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

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.

Your training plan

All delivery for this apprenticeship will take place within your place of work. A dedicated Vocational Trainer will visit on average once every 4 weeks, to establish a personal learning and development plan, outlining a schedule of training activities and objectives.

You will complete a mixture of on and off the job training, including workshops, face to face training and working towards creating a portfolio of relevant practical evidence. You’ll also be supported by your colleagues at all times, and will be mentored and trained constantly.

You will have a review every 8-12 weeks with your Head Chef and Trainer to discuss your progress.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade 3/D)
Maths (grade 3/D)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Presentation skills
Analytical skills
Logical
Team working
Creative
Initiative
Keen to learn
Awareness of food safety
Friendly and talkative
Genuine interest in be a Chef

Other requirements

Poplar Farm Bar and Restaurant is in a rural location – Chapel Lane, Skegness, PE24 4TG. Please check the location and ensure you would be able to reliably travel to and from work on a daily basis. There is also possibility to work additional hours at the employer’s other pub site, for candidates able to travel – The Old Chequers, Lymn Bank, Croft, Skegness, PE24 4PF

About this company

At Poplar Farm Bar and Restaurant, we pride ourselves on serving fresh, delicious food and creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere for every guest. Our lively bar, complete with a cosy fireplace, is the heart of the experience – the perfect place for great conversations and unforgettable moments. As part of our kitchen team, you’ll work with experienced Chefs who are passionate about using fresh, organic ingredients to craft mouth-watering dishes. We value teamwork, creativity, and a love for great food, offering a supportive environment where you can learn, grow, and thrive. If you’re looking to start your culinary journey in a vibrant and friendly setting, there’s no better place to begin than Poplar Farm.

https://poplar-farmbar.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Company Pension

After this apprenticeship

This apprenticeship programme provides a fantastic opportunity for apprentices to build a strong foundation of practical cookery skills. The apprenticeship will lead to a permanent job role for the right candidates.

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