Apprentice Level 2 Food production
Southcare Homes Group
Lewes (BN8 5ES)
Closes in 14 days (Monday 10 August 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 22 July 2026
Contents
Summary
We are looking for someone who wants a career as a chef/cook and wants to learn working alongside our trained chefs in a care home environment. You will learn to provide nutritionally balanced foods, different textures, different diets as well as how to operate a clean kitchen and work to the highest standards according to EHO.
- Wage
-
£19,968 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
There will be no salary increase throughout the proposed training as we are already paying above the Minimum wage for an apprentice.
- Training course
- Production chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
Working 3 days a week 9.0am - 7.00pm
days will be flexible (TBC). Rota completed 3 weeks in advance. One alternate weekend day will be expected.
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Thursday 10 September 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
- Understand how a kitchen works including use of equipment
- Understand what is required in compliance to ensure the kitchen is managed in a clean way to prevent and control infection
- Have an understanding of Environmental Health
- Prepare, cook and present foods, all diets, consistencies and nutritional balanced
- Practice communication skills and record what has been provided
- Work as part of a team
Where you'll work
Lime Tree House
Lewes Road, Ringmer
Lewes
BN8 5ES
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
REWARDS TRAINING RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY 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 Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard
- Training will be onsite at one of our homes. Lime Tree House
- Lewes Road, Ringmer, Sussex, BN8 5ES
Requirements
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Customer care skills
- Presentation skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Patience
Other requirements
- Pass a Disclosure and Barring Service check
- Have a passion for working in catering
- Can provide 2 references from someone who has known them 2 years but is not a friend or family member
About this employer
This is a family run business proudly providing excellence across our 5 care and nursing homes in Sussex and Surrey. We employ 200 members of staff and care for 148 people.
Our values are support, passion, attention, dedication and empathy.
Our homes are family-oriented residential care and nursing homes with a welcoming and supportive atmosphere. Our dedicated team puts residents at the heart of everything we do, and we are continually developing our service as we work towards achieving an Outstanding rating.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
- If a chef position is available, then we may offer to the candidate. We have 5 homes in total
- If they stay with us, then we will offer further training
- Once they have this qualification they may decide to work in another area of food production and elsewhere
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
Southcare Homes Group
Vanessa Farmer
gm@southcarehomes.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000044211.
Apply now
Closes in 14 days (Monday 10 August 2026 at 11:59pm)