Catering Manager in Beaminster

Salary: £30,000 to £32,250

Location: Hooke Park, Beaminster, Dorset

Department: Hooke Park

Reporting to: Head of Hooke Park

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours of work: Full time, 35 Hours, Monday – Friday

Hooke Park is the AA’s woodland site in Dorset owned by the AA since 2002. The 150-hectare working forest is owned and operated by the AA and contains a growing educational facility for design, workshop, construction and landscape-focused activities. It is used by visiting groups of London-based students. The site has a team of staff on site consisting of academics, administration, technicians, catering and cleaning staff.

Role Overview

The Hooke Park Chef / Catering Manager is an experienced Chef able to take responsibility for managing a busy kitchen, cooking tasty and nutritious vegetarian meals for staff, students and visitors in a vibrant and exciting education environment.

Main Responsibilities

• To manage all catering staff involved in the preparation and serving of food, including preparing rotas to ensure adequate cover and make any backup arrangements as required.
• To liaise with the Hooke Park Coordinator on visitor numbers and the schedule of groups, and to ensure catering is provided for our guests as required.
• To act as Chef and prepare fresh nutritious vegetarian meals, both independently and in collaboration with other catering staff.
• To devise weekly healthy and nutritious vegetarian menus for residents and visitors, taking into consideration any requests from students and staff as well as any allergies or food intolerances.
• To provide high-quality catering at Hooke Park events as required.
• To be responsible for health and safety in the kitchen including keeping health and safety documentation up to date and ensuring processes and procedures are followed.
• To liaise with the Health and Safety staff of the AA and external food safety consultants on health and safety obligations.
• To stay current in health and safety and legislation affecting catering, undertaking training, and ensuring all Catering staff are trained as required.
• To ensure that portion control is observed consistently.
• To ensure organisation of quality food service, including procurement of food and non-food stock.
• To manage the agreed Catering budget, operating within budgetary constraints, making cost savings where possible and reporting as required to the Head of Hooke Park on costs.
• To process catering related invoices with accounts and maintain records.
• To ensure the equipment is maintained and faults reported and to liaise facilities and maintenance team on repairs.
• To ensure that the kitchen is always kept clean and tidy.
• To maintain food safety, during both preparation, and production.
• To remain current in food safety and allergen training.
• Taking regular inventories of stock.

The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

All staff must:

• Comply with all legislative and regulatory requirements (e.g. Finance, HR, Health & Safety).
• Adhere to the requirements set out in the AA Code of Behavioural Expectations and other institutional policies.

Person Specification

The post holder must be confident and experienced in producing nutritious, fresh vegetarian food for a wide range of international tastes. They must work well with others and be able to manage a team. They must be enthusiastic and willing to adapt to using seasonal and local ingredients. The successful candidate will be cooking for groups of between 15-45, sometimes working alone and at other times working alongside others. Relevant catering experience and current food safety and hygiene certificates are required. Own transport is necessary due to the remote location.

What we offer:

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, including up to 40 days’ leave per annum, in addition to Bank Holidays, a defined pension scheme, season ticket loans and access to professional development opportunities. You will also be able to take part and be involved in a creative and unique teaching environment, where the students display their amazing work with various on-site exhibitions, public programmes and lectures.

How to Apply:

Please email the below documents to recruitment@aaschool.ac.uk by the closing date of 4th April 2026 stating the job title in the subject heading.

• AA Application Form
• Cover Letter / Email highlighting why you feel you are the right person for the role. This should be no more than two pages.
• Full CV

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. We will review applications as they come in and hold interviews while the role is still being advertised.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to recruitment@aaschool.ac.uk.

We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Please note that it will not be possible for the AA School to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for successful candidates. Therefore, the appointed candidate will need to be eligible to work in the UK for the duration of their employment with the AA School, in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Thank you for your interest in the AA and this role.