Kitchen Assistant – Medicine Kitchen

The Opportunity:

We are inviting a motivated, dynamic, and joyful person to join our Medicine Kitchen team as our new Kitchen Assistant at our retreat & wellbeing centre, designed to serve people and planetary well-being. The role of Kitchen Assistant is an integral part of the kitchen team, helping to facilitate a well-organised, intuitive, and supportive kitchen operation. 

About 42 Acres:

42 Acres is a growing Retreat & Wellbeing centre, Regenerative Estate and Nature Reserve.  Our accommodation, experiences and events all share one vision: to promote living in harmony with nature, self and others. Currently operating in the UK, we are home to a stunning farmhouse estate in rural Somerset.  We have a clear philosophy, focused on biodiversity, inner work, and collaboration, in service of human and planetary wellbeing.

It is a place where food is grown and foraged onsite, and its suppliers are almost exclusively local and ethical. With a strong philosophy to deliver unforgettable experiences for every guest, 42 Acres runs almost exclusively on renewable energy and much of the almost 200-acre setting is dedicated to nature restoration and wildlife.

The Role:

We are looking for a Kitchen Assistant who will help care for and support the flow of the kitchen, enabling the Medicine Kitchen team to deliver deeply nourishing, wholesome food. You will play an important role in maintaining the health and safety standards of the kitchen, ensuring it remains organised, well-prepared, and held to a consistently high standard of cleanliness. A willingness to work collaboratively and support the daily rhythm of service is essential, helping ensure both spaces and services meet and exceed expected standards. You will be part of the team, delivering retreats and events which may be situated indoors but will also involve outdoor fire cooking and working from our off-grid Woodland Kitchen. 

How you would make an impact:

This role is within the catering and guest-experience team. 

Key accountabilities include: Supporting Kitchen Team (80%) 

You will be:

• Maintaining clean and sanitised Kitchen work surfaces (counters, sinks, stoves, walls)
• Washing all cooking equipment in an organised, fast and efficient way,
• Portering, drying and polishing dinnerware, utensils and cutlery to keep them in rotation
• Sweeping and mopping floors, at the beginning and end of shifts
• Accountable for the food and supply storage areas being clean and well organised
• Ready to clean up spills quickly to avoid accident or injury and ensure smooth operations in the kitchen
• Taking out the rubbish and clean bins
• Carrying out a weekly deep clean 
• Arranging equipment and ingredient deliveries
• Using a variety of kitchen equipment such as mixers, special knives and cutters
• Cleaning tables, dining space and tidying the tea station, ensuring the area is clean and well stocked with teas
• Working to maintain our positive environmental impact 
• Using your skills to support the team to be the best you can be 
• Ensuring yourself, and the Kitchen Team adheres to all Health and Safety regulations and Kitchen Policies and Procedures

Guest Experience:

42 Acres core vision centres around supporting others to connect to nature, themselves and each other. These beliefs are at the heart of the offering at 42 Acres – we weave together opportunities for deepening connection, and this is also at the heart of our culture here.  

We encourage fluid working to foster these connections and support one another to deliver an unforgettable guest experience.  In reality this means you will at times be required to support not only the kitchen team, but also the production team, gardens team and guest experience team with housekeeping, production, working retreats, whole self service activities, fire cooking events and other events that enable you to support the team, immerse yourself in 42 Acres and connect with nature!

• maintaining the highest standards of hospitality in the presence of all guests and visitors
• communicating and presenting our food philosophy to guests at every opportunity

About you (great to haves):

• Understanding of Health & Safety in the kitchen (desirable)
• Ability to work with speed and efficiency with a high level of organisation (essential)
• An excellent command of written and spoken English (essential)
• Self motivated, tidy and detail oriented (essential)
• A clear, confident and effective communicator, with a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration skills (essential)
• Agile and resilient – able to respond to changes in the internal and external environment (essential)
• Able to manage workload of competing priorities (essential)
• Interest in Soil to Gut philosophy, farming and ingredients (desirable)
• Although we have a strong plant-based focus mainly, we do cook with the well sourced meat and dairy produce and therefore we are looking for someone who is willing and able prepare these ingredients (essential)
• Due to the nature of hospitality, you must be able to work Monday – Sunday according to dynamic team rotas (essential)

What we offer:

• Regular team lunches and full team gatherings
• Access to 173 Acres of land including lake, forest and woodland sauna
• Access to personal development and training fund and opportunity to work with an experienced and passionate team
• Opportunity to attend retreats and 42 Acres hosted events
• Contact with the industry’s leading practitioners, facilitators, and thought leaders
• Free weekly Yoga
• Healthcare Cash Plan scheme
• ‘My Wellness’ Employee Assistance Programme including counselling support, GP helpline and health & lifestyle analysis
• Opportunity to learn about sustainable food, farming, foraging and improving your wellbeing
• Discounted accommodation and food produce

The Details:

The role could either be a full time role of 36 hours per week or a part time role of 18 hours, operating between the hours of 7am and 10pm.

You are expected to be present during retreats, usually between 7am and 10pm and mainly across weekends.  Shifts are typically 6 hours, flexibility required.  We run the space 52 weeks a year and will encourage you to take annual leave in between the busy programme periods to make sure you have time to recharge.

There is no public transport to 42 Acres.  It is best accessed by car so you will need the ability to travel to a remote rural location.