Relief Chefs & Cooks Wanted

Relief Chefs & Cooks Wanted

Location: Crewe Stoke-on-Trent, Leek, Stafford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Congleton, Shrewsbury, Telford, Nantwich, and surrounding areas
Pay: £17.50 to £21.00 per hour, depending on chef level, role, shift pattern and experience. Enhanced weekend rates may be available, depending on the client.
Shifts: Days, evenings, weekends and flexible ad hoc cover
Contract: Temporary ongoing work, with full-time and part-time options available to suit your lifestyle, commitments and availability.

Blue Arrow is looking to grow our reliable and talented chef team across Staffordshire and the surrounding areas. We support a wide range of clients, from care homes, schools, nurseries and prisons to hotels, restaurants, events, pubs, golf clubs, industrial sites and contract catering venues. Whether you are looking for extra hours, flexible weekly work, varied environments or the chance to build your experience, we can help match you with assignments that suit your skills and availability.

Who we are looking for:
We welcome experienced chefs and cooks at all levels, including:

• Cooks
• Breakfast chefs
• DBS chefs and cooks for schools, nurseries, care homes, prisons and other regulated settings. An Enhanced DBS may be required for these environments, and we can support with processing one if needed.
• Chef De Parties
• Sous Chefs
• Head Chefs, Chef Managers, Catering Managers
• Event, conference and banqueting Chefs

Work across a wide range of environments
One of the biggest benefits of relief work is variety. We will aim to place you in environments that match your experience, confidence and preferences, with opportunities available across:

• Care homes and residential settings, supporting nutritious, high-quality meals for residents
• Schools, nurseries, colleges and universities, including DBS-required education settings
• Prison kitchens and secure environments, supporting essential catering services where compliance and reliability are key
• Hotels, restaurants, pubs, golf clubs, garden centres and farm shops
• Events, conferences, banqueting, hospitality venues, contract catering and industrial catering sites

Whether your background is in healthcare catering, education, nursery meals, prison catering, hotel kitchens, events, hospitality or high-volume contract catering, we are confident we can find opportunities that fit your experience and goals.

Get ready for September school bookings
We are already starting to see bookings coming through for schools returning in September, so now is the ideal time to register, complete your checks and get ready for the new academic year. If you are interested in school, nursery or education catering work, registering early means we can help get your DBS, compliance and availability prepared ahead of the busy back-to-school period.

Why join Blue Arrow?
Blue Arrow is a nationwide agency with branches across the UK and regular work available in a variety of sectors. Our chefs enjoy the flexibility to choose shifts that work around their current roles, family life and commitments. We offer both short-term and ongoing assignments, and many of our chefs have gone on to secure permanent opportunities through the clients they have supported.

• Great pay rates and weekly pay
• Your own app and online portal to accept shifts on the go and submit timesheets easily
• Dedicated consultant
• Extra hours that can fit around your current job, studies, family life or other commitments
• A variety of shifts across multiple kitchen environments
• Paid for every hour worked
• Ongoing work available with many of our clients
• Company pension scheme

Working times and shifts:
Relief chef work can include days, evenings, weekends and occasional night shifts, depending on the client and environment. The benefit of joining Blue Arrow is flexibility: you can tell us when you are available, and we will look to offer shifts that suit your needs.

The commute:
As we cover many locations across Staffordshire and surrounding areas, travel will vary by assignment. If you drive and are flexible with locations, that is ideal. If you rely on public transport, we will aim to match you with suitable sites and provide the information you need before each shift.

Requirements and skills:

• Previous experience as a chef or cook, ideally at Chef de Partie level or above, although all relevant experience will be considered
• Flexibility with shift patterns, including days, evenings and weekends where available
• Ability to support ad hoc and same-day booking requests, which can often lead to regular ongoing work
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work well as part of a team
• Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate is ideal, although support may be available if you need to complete this
• A genuine passion for food, service and high standards
• Confidence working in busy kitchens and the ability to stay calm under pressure
• A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle is beneficial for some locations
• Own chef whites and knives
• An in-date Enhanced DBS, ideally on the Update Service, is required for schools, nurseries, care homes, prisons and other regulated environments. If you do not currently have one, we can advise on the process.

Apply today
If you are looking for flexible chef work, great pay, weekly pay and the opportunity to work across a variety of environments, click apply today and register with Blue Arrow. Booking your interview slot can take less than 7 minutes, and one of our consultants will aim to contact you within 24 to 48 hours, excluding weekends.

Blue Arrow is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to helping find great work opportunities for great people.