Nursery Chef - Childrens Garden Nursery and Pre-School

Nursery Chef - Childrens Garden Nursery and Pre-School

CAPTION: Job details

• Posting date: 10 June 2026


• Salary: £26,901 per year


• Hours: Full time


• Closing date: 10 July 2026


• Location: E16 2RD


• Remote working: On-site only


• Company: London Early Years Foundation


• Job type: Permanent


• Job reference: LEY1195927

Summary

Nursery Chef - Full Time 32.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm) - Newham, E16 - £26,901 + amazing benefits

Work in a friendly kitchen and enjoy working with children every day

"When I arrive at the nursery in the morning, the children's faces light up." - Conchobar, Senior Chef

We're the London Early Years Foundation, or LEYF Nurseries for short; a family of 40 nurseries. Our people love working for us because we focus on the child and their family, and give them the best start in life.

We give you strong in-house training at our Chef Academy. You'll work sociable hours in a friendly environment, and you'll love interacting with the children in your nursery.

What's in it for you?

"It's not just a kitchen job; you get to engage with the children a lot." - Bruno, Chef

• An extra £1,000 uplift in your salary (for 40-hour week qualified chefs) when you complete our inhouse Early Years Chef Academy


• You work sociable hours - no evenings or weekends


• Generous pension at 7% from us (1% from you)


• 70% discount on childcare fees


• Up to 35 days off a year, including 8 bank holidays, 3 days off between Christmas and New Year, and your birthday (pro-rated for part-time hours)


• Lots of training, promotions and nurturing work environment


• Sector-leading parental leave


• Many other benefits that take care of you, including access to the Wellbeing app, shopping discounts, annual conference and money for team celebrations

A bit about the role

"It's a different working environment - a lot friendlier and calmer." - Conor, Senior Chef

You'll help prepare nutritious meals for children and feel real job satisfaction from promoting healthy eating habits for life. Children love the cooking and food-related activities run by our Chefs.

You'll enjoy working with the wider nursery team but also get ownership of the kitchen and suppliers, ensuring a healthy environment and keeping children with allergies safe. You'll be part of the LEYF chef community contributing across our settings, sharing ideas and recipes.

You will need:

• The right to work in the UK


• A positive attitude and excited to work with children


• Food Hygiene Level 2 or equivalent, or be willing to do the course in the first week of work (paid for by LEYF)

About the nursery

Children's Garden Nursery and Pre-School provides Early Years education and care to children from birth to 5 years old. You can find us on campus at the University of East London (UEL), but we are open to all. We are close to several DLR stations.

The children enjoy science experiments, cooking, gardening, construction, messy play with sand and water and more.

Apply now

Contact us today, our friendly recruiters are waiting to hear from you.

#s1-Gen

The right to work in the UK
A positive attitude and excited to work with children
Food Hygiene Level 2 or equivalent, or be willing to do the course in the first week of work (paid for by LEYF)
About the nursery

We're the London Early Years Foundation, or LEYF Nurseries for short; a family of 40 nurseries. Our people love working for us because we focus on the child and their family, and give them the best start in life.

We give you strong in-house training at our Chef Academy. You'll work sociable hours in a friendly environment, and you'll love interacting with the children in your nursery.

What's in it for you?

"It's not just a kitchen job; you get to engage with the children a lot." - Bruno, Chef, Children's Garden Nursery and Pre-School provides Early Years education and care to children from birth to 5 years old. You can find us on campus at the University of East London (UEL), but we are open to all.We are close to several DLR stations.

An extra £1,000 uplift in your salary (for 40-hour week qualified chefs) when you complete our inhouse Early Years Chef Academy
You work sociable hours - no evenings or weekends
Generous pension at 7% from us (1% from you)
70% discount on childcare fees
Up to 35 days off a year, including 8 bank holidays, 3 days off between Christmas and New Year, and your birthday (pro-rated for part-time hours)
Lots of training, promotions and nurturing work environment
Sector-leading parental leave
Many other benefits that take care of you, including access to the Wellbeing app, shopping discounts, annual conference and money for team celebrations
A bit about the role

"It's a different working environment - a lot friendlier and calmer." - Conor, Senior Chef

You'll help prepare nutritious meals for children and feel real job satisfaction from promoting healthy eating habits for life. Children love the cooking and food-related activities run by our Chefs.

You'll enjoy working with the wider nursery team but also get ownership of the kitchen and suppliers, ensuring a healthy environment and keeping children with allergies safe. You'll be part of the LEYF chef community contributing across our settings, sharing ideas and recipes.

You will need