Catering Assistant

Who Are Absolute Taste and What Do We Do? We are an innovative culinary and customer service provider, dedicated to delivering inspirational food and experiences that redefine customer satisfaction. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for pushing boundaries, we continue to grow from strength to strength.

As a small, dynamic team of event professionals, we specialize in creating exciting, well-managed, and sustainable events, while fostering strong working relationships. We’re looking for individuals who share our fun, resilient, and hardworking values to join our supportive, high-performing team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a highly regarded organisation dedicated to success and a positive, empowering culture.

About The Role As a Catering Assistant, you will play an essential part in delivering smooth, high‑quality service across all events. This role combines guest‑facing responsibilities with practical operational support, ensuring every aspect of service is delivered with care, efficiency, and professionalism.

You will be responsible for creating a welcoming atmosphere for guests, supporting table service, and maintaining a clean, organised event space. Alongside your front‑of‑house duties, you will also assist the culinary team with basic food preparation and simple cooking tasks, helping to keep back‑of‑house operations running seamlessly.

This is a hands‑on, fast‑paced role suited to someone who enjoys variety, works well under pressure, and takes pride in delivering excellent customer service. Whether you’re greeting guests, setting up an event space, preparing ingredients, or ensuring hygiene standards are met, you’ll contribute directly to the smooth and successful delivery of each event.

Working Hours - 20 hours per week on average Location: Tythe Barn, Launton, Oxfordshire

BEHIND THE BRAND We’re a family-run, entrepreneurial business with an exciting pace of life and a bright and friendly team. We are passionate about creating stunning weddings and events with a personal touch, while continuously innovating and refining our experience behind the scenes.

We value creativity, collaboration, integrity and excellence, and we expect every team member to champion the Tythe Barn standard in everything they do.

• Front of House Leadership & Guest Experience
• Guest Welcome & Care: Provide a warm, attentive welcome to all guests, ensuring they feel supported and well looked after throughout the event.
• Premium Table Service: Deliver high‑quality food and beverage service, including plated meals, canapés, wine service, and efficient clearing to maintain a polished dining environment.
• Event Setup & Styling: Prepare the venue to Tythe Barn standards, including laying tables, arranging décor, setting service stations, and ensuring all spaces are immaculate before guest arrival.
• Wedding Moment Support: Assist with key wedding elements such as drinks receptions, toasts, cake service, evening food, and coordinated send‑offs, ensuring each moment runs smoothly and beautifully.
• On‑the‑Day Event Leadership: Act as a main point of contact during weddings, guiding casual staff, coordinating service flow, and ensuring timelines are followed with precision and calm professionalism.

• Event Preparation & Coordination: Support pre‑event planning by reviewing function sheets, confirming logistics, preparing equipment, and ensuring all details are ready well in advance.
• Supplier & Vendor Liaison: Work with external partners (florists, photographers, entertainment, etc.) to ensure seamless arrival, setup, and integration into the event schedule.
• Venue Turnaround & Close‑Down: Lead efficient post‑event breakdown, including clearing, cleaning, resetting spaces, and ensuring the venue is restored to its high standard.
• Health, Safety & Compliance: Uphold food safety, allergen awareness, and hygiene standards across all service areas, ensuring safe and compliant operations at all times.

• Basic Food Preparation: Assist chefs with simple prep tasks such as washing, chopping, portioning, and assembling ingredients.
• Support with Simple Cooking Tasks: Help with heating, plating, or managing small live stations under chef supervision.
• Kitchen Hygiene & Organisation: Maintain a clean, tidy, and safe workspace, following “clean as you go” practices and supporting smooth kitchen operations.

• A warm, friendly approach with the ability to make guests feel welcome and well cared for.
• Strong communication skills and confidence interacting with a wide range of people.
• A proactive, can‑do attitude, with the ability to stay calm and organised under pressure.
• Good attention to detail, ensuring service areas, table settings, and presentation standards are consistently high.
• A willingness to learn, including basic food preparation, simple cooking tasks, and safe working practices.
• Reliability and professionalism, with a commitment to delivering excellent service every time.
• Experience within luxury venues or premium hospitality Knowledge of wedding supplier networks First Aid or Health & Safety training.

Why Join Us at Absolute Taste? Join a fast-growing and innovative company that is redefining customer experiences in the culinary and event space. We offer an empowering team culture, the opportunity to work on exciting, well‑managed events, and a supportive, resilient team environment.

We are committed to supporting your career growth with thorough training and ongoing development. You can also enjoy benefits such as: 25 Days holiday + Bank Holiday 3% Pension Life Assurance.

If you’re ready to make an impact in a fast‑paced environment and contribute to the success of Absolute Taste, apply today and join our team! We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.