Apprentice Commis Chef - live in available
The Unicorn
Henley-On-Thames (RG9 5LX)
Closes in 12 days (Tuesday 17 November 2026)
Posted on 4 November 2026
Contents
Summary
Join our small, friendly country pub team as an Apprentice Commis Chef, mentored directly by an experienced Head Chef passionate about sharing his trade. You will learn basic food preparation, kitchen service, stock management, and food safety, with live-in accommodation and a direct bus route to central Reading available.
- Wage
-
£14,976 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Pay ranges between £8.00 and £12.71 per hour depending on age.
- Training course
- Commis chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
36 to 40 hours per week across 7 to 8 shifts of 4 hours, worked Tuesday evening to Sunday afternoon, including weekend shifts.
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 24 November 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
- Prepare fresh ingredients and carry out basic food preparation for lunch and evening services
- Assist the Head Chef in the kitchen during busy service periods from Tuesday evening through Sunday afternoon
- Maintain high standards of hygiene and perform pot washing and kitchen clean-down duties
- Learn and apply proper stock rotation methods to ensure food freshness and minimal waste
- Follow allergy management protocols and strict food safety, health, and safety standards
- Assist with monitoring kitchen inventory and storage procedures
- Complete daily and weekly kitchen setup, deep cleaning, and closing tasks
Where you'll work
Woodside Colmore Lane
Kingwood
Henley-On-Thames
RG9 5LX
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 workplace.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4)
- Maths (grade 4)
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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Patience
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
Must have own transport due to shift patterns and pub location.
About this employer
We are a traditional country pub at the heart of our local community offering good food and great beer to our locals, as well as walkers and cyclists who regularly visit the area. We are located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and we aim to offer a hospitable welcome to staff and customers alike. We are a small dedicated, friendly team which is family run with an experienced head chef who has enormous enthusiasm and lots of talent.
https://www.unicornkingwood.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- On-site live-in accommodation available with high-speed Wi-Fi
- Equal share of all customer tips
- Mentorship from an experienced Head Chef in a supportive, family-run country pub
- Direct bus route into central Reading located right outside
- Potential for permanent employment or higher-level training upon completion
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
On completion of the apprenticeship, there is the potential opportunity to complete further training or continue in a permanent position with us.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000060233.
Apply now
Closes in 12 days (Tuesday 17 November 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.