Catering Assistant

Catering Assistant – Aurora Meldreth Manor and Orchard Manor Shared Services

Location: Meldreth, near Royston. Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire border

Contract Type: Permanent, Full time 
Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday 08:30am to 17:00pm, 52 weeks a year
Hourly rate: £12.37 - £12.59 per hour (depending on skills/experience/qualifications)
Annual Salary: £25,729.60 - £26,187.20

Aurora Meldreth Manor/Orchard Manor

Situated in the village of Meldreth, just ten miles south of Cambridge, our services provide education, care, and therapeutic support for children and young people with severe, profound, and multiple learning difficulties. Set within 14 acres, our site includes:

• Music and Art Rooms
• Rebound Therapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Forestry School
• Adapted Kitchens
• Enterprise Schemes
• Sensory Rooms
• Hard and soft outdoor spaces

The role:

As a Catering Assistant, you will play a key role in creating a positive mealtime experience for our young people. You’ll assist with meal preparation and service, ensuring correct portioning, temperature control, and presentation standards. You’ll maintain a clean and safe kitchen environment and support inclusive, person-centred dining experiences.

This is a hands-on role requiring a proactive and practical approach. The ideal candidate will have strong organisational skills, a keen eye for detail, and a genuine passion for delivering excellent service. You should be comfortable working independently when needed and able to manage tasks efficiently in a busy environment.

Due to the physical nature of the role—including manual handling and long periods of standing—a good level of physical fitness is essential.

Key duties:

• Assist the Senior Cook with meal preparation, ensuring food safety and portion control.
• Maintain a hygienic kitchen environment, including cleaning equipment, surfaces, and floors.
• Receive, check, and store food deliveries in line with food safety standards.
• Ensure allergen information and labelling complies with Natasha’s Law.
• Serve food respectfully, considering individual dietary needs and preferences.
• Engage positively with young people during mealtimes, promoting independence and choice.
• Carry out and record equipment and maintenance checks.
• Respond appropriately to food-related emergencies, including allergic reactions.
• Work independently when required, demonstrating initiative and attention to detail.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of food service quality and experience.

Duties will vary, you must expect to diversify and lend a hand wherever is required. Please see the link below for our full job description:

Job Description - Catering Assistant

Essential:

• Level 2 Food Hygiene & Safety (Catering)
• Good to advanced IT literacy, specifically in Outlook and Excel
• Working knowledge of health and safety legislation (including COSHH, manual handling, and food hygiene)
• Knowledge of Natasha’s Law
• Good literacy, numeracy, and communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise tasks
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting wellbeing
• Positive work attitude and attention to detail

Desirable:

• First Aid Certificate (or willingness to obtain)
• Personal experience or knowledge of disability and inclusive practices

What’s on Offer at Aurora?

We believe in supporting you as much as we support the children and young people in our care. Here’s a snapshot of the fantastic benefits waiting for you:

📚 Grow with Us – Training & Development

Learning never stops at Aurora! We offer a wide range of training programmes and career development opportunities to help you build your skills and reach your goals.

💸 Save Money on Everyday Essentials

With the rising cost of living, our Perkbox app helps you stretch your money further:

• Discounts on groceries, phone plans, internet, dining out, gym memberships & more
• Access to our Cycle to Work and Car Scheme

📱 Access to Wagestream – a financial wellbeing app that helps you track earnings, save, get expert money advice, and even access part of your pay early when needed

💰 Competitive Pay & Reward

We regularly benchmark our pay and benefits to stay ahead of the curve. You’ll enjoy:

• Enhanced Annual Leave
• Company Sick Pay
• Enhanced Pension
• Life Assurance

🩺 24/7 GP Access – For You & Your Household

Need a doctor? No problem. Book a phone or video appointment anytime, day or night. This service covers everyone in your household.

🦷 UK Health Cash Plan

Cover everyday healthcare costs like dental and optician bills. You and your children are included in the scheme, and you can upgrade to add your partner too!

🧠 Employee Assistance Programme

Your wellbeing matters. Get confidential support on a wide range of issues, including:

• Freephone counselling (available 24/7)
• Online tools and resources

👯‍♀️ Refer a Friend – Earn £1,000!

Know someone who’d be a great fit? Refer them and get rewarded!
(*Terms apply)

How to Apply:

You can apply online by completing our online application form.  For more information on this position please contact kirsty.wilkinson@theauroragroup.co.uk

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer.

This advert could be taken down at any point in time without prior notice if the position is filled. 

Please note that candidates that are shortlisted might be subject to an online search.