Kitchen Trainee Apprentice

ERLEIGH & CO LTD

Bishops Stortford (2 available locations)

Closes in 23 days (Sunday 15 February 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 21 January 2026

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Contents

Summary

An exciting opportunity to start to develop your career in the role of Apprentice Chef. You will bring a positive approach and excellent customer service, ensuring dishes are being prepared to the correct recipe and quantity and that they are correctly garnished and portioned.

Wage

£11,778 to £19,047.60, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Staff meals and discount

Training course
Production chef (level 2)
Hours
Evenings and weekends. Days and times to be confirmed.

30 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 3 March 2026

Duration

1 year

Positions available

2

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

  • Supporting senior chef.
  • Prepare ingredients.
  • Cook fresh ingredients using various different cooking methods & techniques.
  • Plating and presentation of food.

Where you'll work

You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

  • The Terrace Park Cafe and Kitchen, Link Road Castle Park, Bishops Stortford, CM23 2EL
  • Smoke Bbq Kitchen, Hockerill Street, Bishops Stortford, CM232DH

Training

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

Training provider

HIT TRAINING 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

Key Skills Learnt: Mastery of various knife skills, understanding food safety (HACCP) and allergen procedures, and basic kitchen finance like costing and waste management.

Evaluation: The apprenticeship concludes with an End Point Assessment (EPA), which includes a multiple-choice exam, a practical culinary challenge, and a professional discussion based on a portfolio of your work. 

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
  • Organisation skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Physical fitness

About this employer

Terrace Park Cafe and Kitchen-terraceparkcafe.co.uk

is with a view of the park from one of our many large windows or from the elevated terrace, you are welcome to enjoy delicious coffee or something to eat from our menu or bakery and deli counter. We offer breakfast and brunch as well as main meals and a children’s menu.

Smoke bbq kitchen- smokebbqkitchen.co.uk

We’re an Independent family run BBQ Restaurant and Smokehouse and we are all about great welcoming service and good food. We low’n slow smoke all our meats onsite and finish them off on our lumpwood charcoal barbecue for that extra crispiness and flavour.

After this apprenticeship

Standard Career Progression Path

Chef de Partie (Station Chef) 

Timeframe: Usually achieved after 1–3 years as a Commis Chef.
Responsibility: Manages a specific section (e.g., sauces, fish, grill, or pastry) and supervises junior staff.

Further Training: May progress to a Level 3 Chef de Partie or Senior Production Chef apprenticeship.

Sous Chef (Deputy Chef) 

Timeframe: Typically reached after 4–8 years in the kitchen.
Responsibility: Second-in-command; manages daily operations, menu planning, and inventory while standing in for the Head Chef.

Head Chef (Chef de Cuisine)

Timeframe: Reached after 9–10+ years of total experience.
Responsibility: Ultimate authority in the kitchen, responsible for staff management, budgeting, and overall culinary vision.

Executive Chef
Responsibility: Managerial role often overseeing multiple outlets or a large establishment's commercial decisions; focusses less on hands-on cooking 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

HIT TRAINING LTD

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000009860.

Apply now

Closes in 23 days (Sunday 15 February 2026 at 11:59pm)