Do you have a passion for food? The National Trust is renowned for its food and hospitality. We run 185 cafes all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we'd love you to be a part of it.
We’re looking for a Cook to join us. Because we are in a rural area, please think about how you’d be able to get here for work, before applying for the job.
Benefits: we want to help you look after the things that matter to you, such as saving for your future, getting a discount on your weekly shop, or encouraging you to find a work-life balance. Please read our package, below, to see what benefits we offer you.
Hours: 1560 hours a year. This role is based on annualised hours, where the amount of hours you work each month may vary, however your salary will be paid in 12 equal instalments over the year.
Hours of work will be 8am-4pm depending on time of year. The role is for 1560 hours per year which averages at 30 hours per week, however, due to the seasonality of the role expect to work 5 days (37.5 hours) during busy spells but only 2 or 3 (15-22.5 hours) during quiet periods.
Salary: £11.64 an hour
Duration: Fixed Term Contract until 8th November 2026
Interview date: Week commencing Monday 24th February
For this role, you’ll need to complete our online assessment instead of using a C.V. or online application form. This will help us understand more about your strengths and give you more information on the role.
What it's like to work here
Working here is both fun and hard work with 2 days never the same. As a property, we welcome approximately 250,000 visitors per year. In order to cater to these visitors, we have a large cafe and production kitchen, as well as an ice cream parlour, a wood fired pizza trailer, a garden kiosk and the dragon kiosk.
What you'll be doing
You will be part of a small and dedicated kitchen team preparing and cooking food to a set standard from base ingredients. Duties will include baking, cooking, food prep, food service and working with the wood fired pizza oven as well as other duties included in the role profile.
You’ll help with deliveries and with keeping the kitchen clean, to be compliant with health and safety legislation and to make sure that service runs smoothly. We’ll give you an induction that fits the job, and training in allergens and food safety, plus any mentoring needed to help you in your role. You can sign up for further professional training and development if you wish.
You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all of the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.
Who we're looking for
We’d love to hear from you if you’re:
Someone who loves good food and has a friendly and positive attitude.
Confident about following recipes and batch-cooking, and willing to learn.
Aware of health and safety compliance.
The package
The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.
Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
Rental deposit loan scheme
Season ticket loan
EV car lease scheme
Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
Flexible working whenever possible
Employee assistance programme
Free parking at most Trust places