Catering Assistant Apprenticeship
KETTAN FOODS LIMITED
SAFFRON WALDEN (CB10 1ER)
Closes in 22 days (Saturday 31 January 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 6 January 2026
Contents
Summary
The Mocha Diner is seeking a Catering Assistant keen on preparing traditional homemade meals cooked to order and providing warm customer service. This role requires work on weekends and bank holidays (by rota). Previous experience as a cook is desirable but not essential - training will be provided so willingness to learn is critical.
- Wage
-
£11,778 to £19,047.60, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
- Training course
- Production chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
5 days per week, typical shift is 10am– 4.30pm, occasional early start at 7.30am. 4 weekday shifts plus 1 shift on weekends (by rota). Expect to work on bank holidays.
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 2 February 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
Duties include:
- Prepare and cook high-quality meals, coffee/tea/specialty drinks following standard processes and recipes
- Greet customers, take orders at the counter, process payments, ensure high levels of customer satisfaction
- Assist with opening and closing duties, including restocking and cleaning
- Ensure food safety standards are met at all times, maintain cleanliness and organisation in the kitchen at all times
- Collaborate with manager and team to deliver excellent customer service
Where you'll work
11 CENTRAL ARCADE
SAFFRON WALDEN
CB10 1ER
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
PERFORMANCE LEARNING GROUP LTD
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
- All of your training will be completed within the workplace, You will be working towards the Level 2 Production Chef apprenticeship
- You will have the opportunity to work towards your Functional Skills in maths and English if you do not have the GCSEs or equivalent
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
Work in a kitchen can be busy and noisy with multiple competing demands. You must be able to stay calm under pressure and take the initiative to figure out what needs to be done without being given constant instruction. Teamwork is critical to deliver quality food and excellent customer service. You must pull your weight as part of the team and also be flexible to fulfil different roles depending on what is needed at any given time.
About this employer
The Mocha Diner is Saffron Walden’s original independent diner since 1970 serving traditional Great British food and drink. Many generations of Saffron Walden locals have grown up with the Mocha - Customers who frequented the diner in the 70s and 80s now bring their children and grandchildren.
After this apprenticeship
- Potential to progress to Level 3 training and eventually hospitality management training
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
PERFORMANCE LEARNING GROUP LTD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000006757.
Apply now
Closes in 22 days (Saturday 31 January 2026 at 11:59pm)