Production Chef Apprentice

Coconut Tree - Bournemouth

185-187 Old Christchurch Road (BH1 1JU)

Closes on Monday 16 March 2026

Posted on 3 February 2026

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Summary

Jump into a fast-paced, high-energy role with coconut tree. This role is for someone who has a passion for cooking and is wanting to gain experience within a busy kitchen environment.

Wage

£11,778 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Production chef (level 2)
Hours
30 hours per week, on a shift pattern basis, weekends are a must. Exact shift patterns to be confirmed.

30 hours a week

Start date

Monday 23 March 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

At The Coconut Tree, we're passionate about great food, teamwork, and helping people grow. This role is ideal for someone at the start of their culinary journey who wants to learn on the job, gain a nationally recognised qualification, and build confidence in a professional kitchen.

As an Apprentice Production Chef, you'll be supported to develop practical kitchen skills while working as part of a friendly, fast-paced team. Over 15 months, you'll work towards a Production Chef Apprenticeship Level 2, combining hands-on experience with structured training.

With guidance and support from experienced chefs, you'll learn how to:

  • Prepare food safely and efficiently, including washing, peeling, chopping, cooking, and plating.
  • Keep the kitchen clean, organised, and safe, including cleaning equipment, tools, floors, and work areas.
  • Help receive and store food deliveries, learning how to organise stock correctly.
  • Follow recipes accurately to ensure consistent quality, flavour, and presentation.
  •  Support the team in catering for special dietary requirements.
  • Learn and follow food safety and hygiene standards, including recording temperatures and updating kitchen records.
  • Reduce food waste and prevent cross-contamination.
  • Work closely with front-of-house colleagues to support smooth service and respond to customer feedback.
  • Take part in training and development opportunities to build your skills and confidence.
  • Support and, over time, help guide more junior team members as you grow in the role.
  • Carry out other reasonable kitchen duties as part of a collaborative team environment.

Training & Development

  • You'll complete a Production Chef Apprenticeship Level 2 alongside your day-to-day role.
  • Full training will be provided - no need to know everything on day one.
  • You'll learn about food safety, kitchen operations, teamwork, and professional standards.

Things to consider

  • This role includes evening and weekend work, as part of a rotating schedule.
  • Applicants should be based locally or able to travel reliably to the restaurant.
  • If you're looking for a supportive place to start your career in hospitality, learn new skills, and grow with a company that values people as much as food, we'd love to hear from you.

Where you'll work

185-187 Old Christchurch Road
BH1 1JU

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)

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.

Training schedule

Production Chef Apprenticeship L2 including Functional Skills in maths and English.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

Other in:

None required (grade None required)

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

Skills

  • Team Working
  • Organisation Skills

Other requirements

We prefer candidates who are based in the same city or are able to travel reliably to and from the restaurant.

Previous experience in a similar role is preferred. But not mandatory as we value potential, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn with the right attitude.

Will required to work during the weekends and evenings

About this employer

The Coconut Tree is a restaurant group offering a uniquely Sri Lankan dining experience, serving delicious small plates and Cocktails in a relaxed 'island vibe' setting. The group currently has eight restaurants in various locations in the South, namely: Cheltenham, Bristol x 2, Bath, Oxford, Reading, Bournemouth and London.

After this apprenticeship

Yes. We're passionate about developing our team, and anyone who performs well will have the opportunity to grow with us and progress to the next levels in the kitchen. From learning new skills to taking on more responsibility, we offer clear pathways for career development within our fast-growing restaurant group.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

LIFETIME TRAINING GROUP LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000012559.

Apply now

Closes on Monday 16 March 2026

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.