Cook

Do you have a passion for food? The National Trust is renowned for its food and hospitality. We run 185 cafes all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we'd love you to be a part of it. We're looking for a Cook to join us. Because we are in a rural area and we are not on a public transport route, please think about how you'd be able to get here for work, before applying for the job.

Salary: £13.25 per hour

Contract Duration: Permanent

Working Hours: 1560 hours per year. This role is based on annualised hours, where the amount of hours you work each month may vary, however your salary will be paid in 12 equal instalments over the year.

Working Pattern: You will work an average of 30 hours per week. The role will involve working day time hours, 4 days out of 7, with an acceptance of working bank holidays and weekends shared fairly with the kitchen team.

Interview Dates: Between 7th and 12th May

For this role, you'll need to complete our online assessment instead of using a C.V. or online application form. This will help us understand more about your strengths and give you more information on the role.

Benefits: We want to help you look after the things that matter to you, such as saving for your future, getting a discount on your weekly shop, or encouraging you to find a work life balance. Please read our package, below, to see what benefits we offer you.

What you'll be doing

As a Cook, your focus will be in the kitchen, helping to prepare and present delicious food from scratch using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Your food will be served directly to visitors.

Using the framework of our 'National Trust Cookbook', you'll prepare, measure and mix ingredients. You'll help with deliveries and with keeping the kitchen clean, to be compliant with health and safety legislation and to make sure that service runs smoothly.

We'll give you an induction that fits the job, and training in allergens and food safety, plus any mentoring needed to help you in your role. You can sign up for further professional training and development if you wish.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what's possible in this role.

Who we're looking for

We'd love to hear from you if you're:

• Someone who loves good food and has a friendly and positive attitude.
• Confident about following recipes and batch-cooking, and willing to learn.
• Aware of health and safety compliance.

The package

The National Trust has the motto 'For everyone, for ever' at its heart. We're working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It's important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we're for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Kedleston Hall, Quardon, Derby, DE22 5JH

Documents

Cook - Career Level A2.pdf

Requirements

Compliance. Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 3rd May 2026

To apply for this vacancy simply click the 'apply' button in the top right hand side of the page.

If you need any help with your application, i.e. due to technical difficulties, please call us on or email us at

If you require an adjustment to the application process, for example due to disability or medical condition, please call us on or email us at and we'll support you as best as we can. For examples of how, please see our supporting you page.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here.

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment process to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.

Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early and therefore we encourage you to apply for this position early.