Commis Chef Apprentice

The Why Not Inn

REDDITCH (B96 6LU)

Closes in 20 days (Monday 30 November 2026)

Posted on 10 November 2026

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Summary

Join our passionate team as an Apprentice Commis Chef at The Why Not Inn! You will gain hands-on culinary experience, master foundational cooking techniques, and work toward a Level 2 qualification with real opportunities to progress to CDP and beyond.

• Wage:

  £16,640 a year

  Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Pay rate is between £8.00 and £12.71 per hour.

• Training course: Commis chef (level 2)
• Hours: Full-time role includes shift work across lunches, dinners, evenings, and weekends to match kitchen service hours. Rota provided in advance.

  40 hours a week

• Start date:

  Monday 7 December 2026

• Duration:

  1 year

• 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

• Prepare raw ingredients: wash, peel, chop, and portion fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, and fish according to specification.
• Support service delivery: assist the kitchen team during live lunch, dinner, and event services by gathering and organising ingredients.
• Learn and apply professional cooking techniques, including searing, grilling, frying, baking, roasting, poaching, and sauce making.
• Measure, weigh, and portion ingredients accurately to follow recipes precisely and minimise waste.
• Support senior chefs in assembling, finishing, and garnishing dishes to presentation standards.
• Assist in receiving food orders, checking quantities, logging temperatures, and rotating stock (FIFO).
• Maintain high standards of hygiene and clean, sanitise, and maintain kitchen equipment and workstations.
• Strictly monitor food holding/storage temperatures and follow safety protocols for allergen management, HACCP, and COSHH guidelines.

Where you'll work

55 THE RIDGEWAY
ASTWOOD BANK
REDDITCH
B96 6LU

Training

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

Training provider

THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD

Training course

Commis chef (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Selects correct knife for task.
• Uses knives effectively and efficiently.
• Selects ingredients of the right quality that support sustainability and seasonality.
• Weighs, measures, and scales ingredients.
• Cooks from fresh producing complete dishes.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes meat, offal, game, poultry, fish, and shellfish from whole; trim, de-vein, portion, break down, bone, skin, fillet, shell.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes fruit vegetables.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes sauces.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes pureed and cream soup and stock based dishes.
• Prepares and cooks noodles, and fresh or convenience pasta.
• Prepares and cooks pulses and grains, including long and short grain rice.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes eggs or egg based dishes.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes leavened and unleavened dough products.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes sweet and savoury pastry products using short, sweet, and choux.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes scones, biscuits, sponge cakes, and non-sponge cakes.
• Prepares, produces, and finishes hot and cold desserts.
• Stuffs, fills and panés across food types.
• Prepares and cooks dishes using alternative ingredients eg plant based, gluten free.
• Prepares fresh ingredients, including from whole, using them across a menu to reduce waste and improve sustainability
• Uses seasoning, spices, rubs, and marinades to flavour ingredients.
• Sears, grills, deep fries, shallow fries, stir fries, sautés, braises, stews, bakes, roasts, boils, poaches across food types.
• Portions, plates, finishes, garnishes, and presents individual dishes.
• Exercises portion control and acts to maximise yield.
• Achieves intended quality in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance
• Identifies and resolves errors during the production process.
• Assists in the resolution of feedback, complaints, and issues.
• Prepares, cleans and uses manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking equipment and machinery safely, correctly and efficiently.
• Applies food safety and allergen procedures, including monitoring temperatures, during preparation, cooking, and holding.
• Selects and applies hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, including personal hygiene, PPE, and uniform.
• Complies with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
• Undertakes stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Applies food safety and allergen procedures, and monitors and records food temperatures, on delivery and in storage.
• Follows equity, diversity and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Uses techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Communicates with colleagues, manager and other stakeholders in a professional manner.
• Works as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Uses feedback to improve own performance.
• Manages own time to ensure tasks are completed.
• Selects correct knife for task.
• Uses knives effectively and efficiently.
• Selects ingredients of the right quality that support sustainability and seasonality.
• Weighs, measures, and scales ingredients.
• Cooks from fresh producing complete dishes.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes meat, offal, game, poultry, fish, and shellfish from whole; trim, de-vein, portion, break down, bone, skin, fillet, shell.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes fruit vegetables.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes sauces.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes pureed and cream soup and stock based dishes.
• Prepares and cooks noodles, and fresh or convenience pasta.
• Prepares and cooks pulses and grains, including long and short grain rice.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes eggs or egg based dishes.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes leavened and unleavened dough products.
• Prepares, cooks and finishes sweet and savoury pastry products using short, sweet, and choux.
• Prepares, cooks, and finishes scones, biscuits, sponge cakes, and non-sponge cakes.
• Prepares, produces, and finishes hot and cold desserts.
• Stuffs, fills and panés across food types.
• Prepares and cooks dishes using alternative ingredients eg plant based, gluten free.
• Prepares fresh ingredients, including from whole, using them across a menu to reduce waste and improve sustainability
• Uses seasoning, spices, rubs, and marinades to flavour ingredients.
• Sears, grills, deep fries, shallow fries, stir fries, sautés, braises, stews, bakes, roasts, boils, poaches across food types.
• Portions, plates, finishes, garnishes, and presents individual dishes.
• Exercises portion control and acts to maximise yield.
• Achieves intended quality in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance
• Identifies and resolves errors during the production process.
• Assists in the resolution of feedback, complaints, and issues.
• Prepares, cleans and uses manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking equipment and machinery safely, correctly and efficiently.
• Applies food safety and allergen procedures, including monitoring temperatures, during preparation, cooking, and holding.
• Selects and applies hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, including personal hygiene, PPE, and uniform.
• Complies with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
• Undertakes stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Applies food safety and allergen procedures, and monitors and records food temperatures, on delivery and in storage.
• Follows equity, diversity and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Uses techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Communicates with colleagues, manager and other stakeholders in a professional manner.
• Works as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Uses feedback to improve own performance.
• Manages own time to ensure tasks are completed.

Training schedule

Training will take place on-site at The Why Not Inn. The training schedule and study hours will be agreed upon between the apprentice, employer, and HIT Training prior to the start date.

More training information

You will complete the Level 2 Commis Chef standard delivered in partnership with HIT Training. Practical kitchen experience will be combined with ongoing mentoring from senior chefs and regular assessments from HIT Training to ensure all portfolio and practical requirements are met.

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
• Attention to detail
• Team working
• Initiative
• Patience
• Physical fitness

Other requirements

• Transport: Must be able to travel to and from the venue in Astwood Bank (B96 6LU), including for evening and weekend shifts when public transport options may be limited.
• Working environment: Must be comfortable working in a hot, fast-paced kitchen environment and standing for long periods.

About this employer

The Why Not Inn is a beautifully restored, independent community pub located at 55 The Ridgeway in the scenic village of Astwood Bank, Redditch. Combining original stone flooring and a double-sided open fireplace with stunning views of the Worcestershire countryside, we offer a vibrant environment for apprentices to launch their culinary careers.
Our kitchen provides a fantastic foundation in high-quality catering. You will learn your trade in a scratch-cooking environment where everything is fresh, local, and prepared entirely in-house. As an independent business, we encourage apprentices to find their culinary voice by actively collaborating on seasonal menu ideas and daily specials.
We also host spectacular private parties and weddings in our beautiful marquee, giving you invaluable experience in large-scale event catering. This apprenticeship offers a diverse culinary skill set, teaching you exactly how a community-focused hospitality business operates successfully.

https://www.thewhynot.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

• Staff food on shifts of 8 hours or longer
• Company pension
• Free staff parking

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

Upon successful completion of the Level 2 Commis Chef apprenticeship, the apprentice can progress into a full-time position as a Chef de Partie (CDP), with further opportunities to advance within the kitchen team.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000063438.

Apply now

Closes in 20 days (Monday 30 November 2026)

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