Apprentice Butcher
ST EDMUNDS BUTCHERS AND CATERING LTD
Bury St. Edmunds (IP33 1EA)
Closes in 17 days (Friday 3 July 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 16 June 2026
Contents
Summary
Join our award-winning butchers and bakery team and turn your passion for food into a rewarding career. We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to become part of our friendly family-run business. Full training will be provided giving you hands-on experience in food preparation, production, and artisan food manufacturing.
- Wage
-
£13,520 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
The apprentice will be paid the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices, in line with current government regulations. Rates are reviewed annually and will be applied in accordance with the apprentice's age and stage of the apprenticeship.
- Training course
- Butcher (level 2)
- Hours
-
The apprentice will work between Monday and Saturday, 9:00am to 4:00pm, with one day off during the week. A 30-minute lunch break is provided. This is about 32.5 working hours per week. Some flexibility may be required during busy seasonal periods.
32 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 13 July 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 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
No two days are ever the same in our busy butcher and bakery business. As an apprentice, you will gain hands-on experience across a wide range of food preparation and production tasks.
Your duties may include:
- Crafting sausage rolls
- Pies
- Cakes
- Kebabs
- Burgers
- Sausages
- Traditional butchery skills
- Lamb carcass breakdown
- Meat preparation
- You will work alongside experienced team members, helping to develop seasonal products
- Maintain high food quality standards
- Provide excellent service to our customers
This is a varied and practical role that offers the opportunity to learn valuable skills in both artisan baking and butchery.
Where you'll work
3 Brentgovel Street
Bury St. Edmunds
IP33 1EA
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
MEAT EAST ANGLIA TRADES (IPSWICH) LIMITED
Training course
Butcher (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
- Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
- Manual handling of carcases or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process.
- Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures.
- Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain.
- Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements.
- Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service.
- Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business.
- Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements.
- Process and dispose of waste material.
- Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills.
- Serve customers in line with brand standards.
- Advise customers on the use by dates, storage, preparation, and cooking of meat products.
- Prepare, produce, and display meat products such as joints, portions, sausages, burgers, value-added products and offer alternative products when required.
- Plan and prepare for seasonal supply and demand of meat products in the merchandising and promotion of seasonal foods.
- Provide provenance and heritage product information.
- Set up and close meat counter displays.
- Balance the customers’ needs with additional linked products and services such as marinades, and encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.
- Produce meat to the specific volume, size, and weight to meet the needs of stakeholders.
- Maximise the saleable yield for the business relating to carcases or primals.
- Contribute to efficiencies to support the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the business through working to agreed specifications for their role.
- Adhere to customer specifications and contracts.
- Contribute to foreign body control and metal detection.
- Meet key performance indicators within meat processing.
- Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
- Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
- Manual handling of carcases or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process.
- Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures.
- Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain.
- Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements.
- Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service.
- Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business.
- Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements.
- Process and dispose of waste material.
- Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills.
Training schedule
Level 2 Butcher apprenticeship, including Functional Skills in English and maths if required.
Training conducted in the workplace, training plan will be agreed on enrolment.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4/C)
- Maths (grade 4/C)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Enthusiastic
- Eager to Learn
- Passionate about Food
- Reliable
Other requirements
This is a hands-on, physically active role that will involve lifting and carrying products and equipment. Applicants should be physically fit and comfortable working in a fast-paced food production environment.
About this employer
St Edmunds Butchers & Catering Ltd is a family-owned, award-winning business with over seven generations of butchery experience. We are passionate about producing high-quality, handcrafted food products and providing exceptional customer service. Apprentices joining our team will benefit from learning traditional skills and modern techniques from experienced industry professionals.
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 apprenticeship, there will be opportunities to progress into a full-time Butcher role, with further development and training available for those who wish to advance into supervisory or management positions within the business.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
MEAT EAST ANGLIA TRADES (IPSWICH) LIMITED
Chi Johnson
st.edmundsbutchers@outlook.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000037397.
Apply now
Closes in 17 days (Friday 3 July 2026 at 11:59pm)