Casual Chef

Bank Chef | Care Home Catering | Flexible 0-Hour Contract | Chesterton Lodge, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Ready to Cook with Purpose, On Your Own Terms?

If you're a skilled chef looking for flexible, rewarding work that fits around your life, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for. Chesterton Lodge in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme is meticulously finished to a very high standard, and offers first class care and facilities with en-suite rooms for up to 64 residents, in a light, spacious and elegant setting. And we're looking for passionate Bank Chefs to join our catering team on a casual, 0-hour basis, available to step in when shifts arise.

This isn't just cooking. It's crafting genuinely nourishing, home-quality meals and freshly baked goods for up to 60 residents who truly appreciate every plate.

What Does a Bank Chef Role Look Like?

As a casual bank chef, you'll be part of our wider catering support network, available to step in and keep our kitchen running smoothly whenever a need arises. This might be to cover annual leave, sickness absence, or to bridge the gap while we recruit into a permanent position. Shifts are not guaranteed but when they come up, you'll be first in line as a trusted, familiar face in our kitchen.

You won't be going it alone either. On every shift you'll be working alongside a Catering Assistant who will support you day to day, and on occasion you may overlap with an additional Chef or our Chef Manager too.

And before you cook your first shift, we'll make sure you know the kitchen, the residents' needs, and our ways of working, so you can hit the ground running with confidence.

Every shift you do take on will involve:

• Cooking from fresh daily, using quality seasonal ingredients to deliver nutritious, flavoursome meals
• Baking from scratch, bread, cakes, desserts and more, bringing real warmth to our residents' days
• Supporting the Chef Manager in maintaining the highest standards of food quality and presentation
• Stepping up when needed, confidently holding the kitchen together in the Chef Manager's absence
• Catering for diverse dietary needs, from texture-modified diets to cultural preferences, always with care and creativity

Why Bank Work Here Works for You

✔ Flexible to fit your life, shifts arise as cover is needed, making this ideal if you're looking to supplement existing work or commitments ✔ Sociable hours, no late nights, no split shifts; care home hours work around real life ✔ Meaningful work, cooking for people who truly value it, every single day ✔ Great perks from day one, big-brand retail and lifestyle discounts, Blue Light Card savings, and a £250 refer-a-friend bonus ✔ Career recognition, enter our annual Chef of the Year competition and showcase your talent on a wider stage ✔ A pathway to permanence, bank roles can be a great way to get your foot in the door; many of our permanent chefs started exactly this way

You're the Chef We're Looking For If You...

• Are happy to be on-call for shifts and can respond at short notice when cover is needed
• Have professional cookery experience (care home or healthcare catering a bonus, not essential)
• Are confident cooking from fresh and baking independently
• Take pride in food quality, presentation and hygiene standards
• Hold, or are working towards, a Food Hygiene qualification (Level 2 minimum)
• Hold the legal right to work in the UK

Hear From Our Chefs

Curious what it's really like to cook with us? Visit our dedicated Catering careers page to hear from the team: ???? anchor.org.uk/careers/where-you-fit/care/care-home-chef-and-catering-jobs-anchor (Viewing on Indeed? Copy and paste the link into your browser.)

Apply Today

Bank chef roles with real heart don't come around often. If you're ready to bring your skills to a kitchen where they truly make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Anchor – a great place to work

Anchor is England’s largest not-for-profit providers of care and housing for older people. Our heartfelt ambition is to transform housing and care so everyone can have a home where they love living in later life.

We’re not-for-profit which means every penny we make or save is invested in the people who live with us, the places they live and the people who work here. That means a better standard of care and customer service, better wages, more investment in training and development and improved facilities.

To see our full range of benefits, check out our dedicated being well website Please follow the link or copy and paste https://anchorbeingwell.co.uk/ into your browser 

Celebrating diversity, celebrating you

Anchor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We aim to celebrate diversity and inclusion in all that we do, as we know that the more diverse our colleagues are, the better care and support we can give to our residents and each other.  

We are proud to have an LGBT+ group for our residents, and also Disability, LGBT+ and race and ethnicity colleague networks. These work to celebrate diversity, address concerns, review policy and practice and empower their members.  We also have an Inclusive Ambassador network to allow all colleagues to be part of promoting diversity and to be an ally to others.

We are a Gold Standard Inclusive Employer, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Menopause Friendly and a signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant, HouseProud Pledge and Age Friendly Employer Pledge schemes.