Production Chef Apprenticeship - Level 2
Buckfast Abbey
BUCKFASTLEIGH (TQ11 0EE)
Closes in 19 days (Thursday 10 September 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 20 August 2026
Contents
Summary
We're looking for our next Awesome Addition to join the Kitchen team at Buckfast Abbey.
As a Production Chef Apprentice, you'll gain hands-on experience. You'll learn to prepare, cook and present high-quality dishes, work with recipes and menus, maintain food safety standards and become a valued member of a busy professional kitchen.
- Wage
-
£21,008 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Competitive rates of pay – reviewed annually
- Training course
- Production chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
40-hours per week, over 5 days, weekdays and weekends, early, day and late shifts.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Thursday 1 October 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
What you'll be doing:
As part of our friendly Kitchen team, you'll help create exceptional food experiences for our guests by:
- 🍴 Preparing ingredients and assisting with food production
- 👨🍳 Cooking and presenting dishes to a high standard
- 📖 Following recipes and production plans accurately
- 🥗 Helping maintain consistency, quality and portion control
- 🧼 Maintaining excellent food hygiene and cleanliness standards
- ✅ Following food safety, health and safety, and allergen procedures
- 📦 Organising and storing ingredients correctly
- 🤝 Working closely with chefs and hospitality colleagues
- ⏱️ Supporting service during busy periods and special events
- 🌱 Learning sustainable kitchen practices and reducing waste
- 📈 Developing professional cooking techniques and culinary skills
- ✨ Helping deliver a positive dining experience for every guest
No two days are ever the same. One day you could be preparing ingredients for a busy lunch service, and the next you might be supporting a conference, event or special function while learning new culinary techniques.
Where you'll work
BUCKFAST ABBEY
BUCKFAST
BUCKFASTLEIGH
TQ11 0EE
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
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.
All training will take place at the workplace.
More training information
The training course will be provided through an external training provider HIT.
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
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
- Has a genuine interest in food and cooking
- Has a positive attitude and willingness to learn
- Enjoys working as part of a team
- Has good communication skills
- Is reliable and hardworking
- Can stay calm and organised in a busy environment
- Takes pride in producing high-quality work
- Is enthusiastic, proactive and ready to get stuck in
- Has good attention to detail
- Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
About this employer
Buckfast Abbey is home to a community of Roman Catholic Benedictine Monks, who live their lives of prayer, work, and study according to the ancient rule of St Benedict. Today, our site is a flourishing complex of buildings, which the monks have continually developed to aid them in realising their vision for Buckfast - to be a national centre of witness to God, and the Roman Catholic faith. To that end, the Monastic Community places a great value upon hospitality, and we welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. We employ around 140 staff in a variety of interesting career opportunities that are valued with competitive pay and an excellent benefits package. Staff are not required to share the religious beliefs of the Monastic Community but an empathy with the Catholic ethos of the site is required.
http://www.buckfast.org.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Generous holiday - 33 days
- Generous Pension Scheme - with 10% Employer Contribution
- Staff discount - 20% in all our outlets
- Staff gym - free to use
- Free staff meals
- Free parking
- Free electric car charging
- Free staff social events
- Employee Assistance Programmes - free of charge support that includes telephone counselling, GP consultation service and bereavement support
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Future Prospects 🏆:
Successful completion of this apprenticeship could lead to a permanent role within our catering operation or the opportunity to progress onto a senior level chef apprenticeship and further enhance your skills.
This apprenticeship is more than just a qualification. It's your chance to build a career, gain valuable experience and become part of a team dedicated to delivering exceptional food and hospitality every day.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000049271.
Apply now
Closes in 19 days (Thursday 10 September 2026 at 11:59pm)