We currently have vacancies for:
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Butcher​​
Catering Assistant
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About us
Tablehurst is a 500-acre mixed biodynamic/organic farm in Forest Row, East Sussex, with mob grazing Sussex horned cattle, Jersey dairy herd, arable, pasture, ponds, woodland, and footpaths on Wealden AONB. It includes a vegetable/fruit garden, polytunnels, farm buildings, bakery, pie kitchen, farm shop, café, and farmer accommodation. The farm produce, beef, lamb, pork, poultry, local wild venison, raw dairy, pastries, fruit and vegetables, is mainly sold through the on-site farm shop.
We have consistently won prestigious awards, the latest ones being BBC Food and Farming Award for Food Producer of the Year 2022, and Sussex Food and Drinks Awards 2021 Sussex Butcher of the Year. Our Pie Kitchen won a Soil Association food award for our delicious Steak and Kidney Pie, made with our own produce.
Our farm is committed to biodynamics as its core farming philosophy, and to community engagement as a central pillar of our work.
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Cafe Manager
We are looking for an enthusiastic Café Manager to join the team to oversee the smooth running of our busy farm café. This is a full time role (5 days including Saturday) - exact days to be discussed with the successful candidate. The café is open six days a week, and currently serves lunches, drinks and cakes.
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The role will involve:
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Managing day-to-day operations of the café and actively participating in all activities involved in running the café.
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Overseeing the operation of an Alfresco Kitchen that operates during summer months in the café garden.
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Hiring , onboarding and developing cafe staff to deliver excellent customer service.
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Design and develop daily lunch offerings based on what is in season and available from the farm.
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Oversee and, as required, take part in the preparation and cooking of the aforementioned lunch offerings.
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Coordinating with suppliers and ordering supplies as needed.
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Completing and maintaining digital (MS Excel) recipe costings templates and working to target profit margins.
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Planning and managing optimised staffing rotas that deliver maximum cost targets as a percentage of revenue.
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Ensuring all cafe areas are clean and tidy and meeting Environmental Health requirements.
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Nurturing friendly relationships with customers to increase loyalty and boost our reputation.
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Develop an understanding of the farm and farming methods in order to be an ambassador of the farm.
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Overseeing the supply of food offerings at public and private events on the farm as required. ​
The ideal candidate would have the following experience and qualities:
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Experience managing restaurants or cafes that serve freshly-made cooked food.
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Passion for serving high-quality, organic and nutritious food, using ethically-produced ingredients.
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Ability to hire, develop, manage and motivate a strong team.
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Excellent customer service and communication skills.
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Understand relevant legal requirements and internal processes, and how to ensure compliance.
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Sound understanding of the business-side of operating a café including monitoring and working to percentage budgets for Human Resource and Food Costs.
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IT literate - working with systems, processes inventory, and financial reporting (using Excel).
Job Type: Full-time, permanent
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Salary: Competitive for the successful candidate
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Benefits:
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Company pension
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Discounted or free food
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Employee discount
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Free On-site parking
It is essential that you are able to commute to Forest Row, East Sussex.
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Butcher
Tablehurst Farm runs a thriving farm shop in which the butchers' counter is the star attraction. The majority of the meat is from the farm, and all the cutting and processing takes place here in the farm shop. This is a great opportunity to join an established team of butchers working in a traditional environment on a full-time (42.5 hours per week Tuesday to Saturday) basis. Full time working hours to be 8am to 5.30pm with 1 hour for lunch.
The ideal candidate will:
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Manage the care and storage of meat including correct ageing of carcasses, avoidance of waste and general meat storage.
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Primary and secondary butchering of all categories of meat and poultry.
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Ensure meat is in excellent condition when sold, with an adequate shelf life.
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Work in other areas of the butchery, such as mince and sausage production, preparing orders etc as required.
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Serve customers and provide them with information about the farm and the meat we sell.
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Work with colleagues to maintain excellent standards of food hygiene and food safety throughout the butchery.
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Help to develop new ways to present our meat to customers
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Participate in events such as workshops and tastings
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Work collaboratively with all other Tablehurst staff and volunteers
Desired Experience:
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High level butchery skills honed over several years.
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A genuine interest in how our animals are reared and in how we farm.
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Excellent customer service skills.
Job Type: Full Time
Schedule:
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8.5-hour day shift over a 5-day week including Saturdays (currently our butchery is closed on Mondays)
Pay
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To be discussed with the preferred candidate
Benefits:
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Company pension
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Farm lunch
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Employee discount
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On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
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Forest Row RH18 5DP: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Work Location: In person
Catering Assistant
Tablehurst Farm runs a thriving pie kitchen which bakes award winning pies, sausage rolls, quiches and cakes etc. These products are then sold in our farm shop and cafe.
This is a great opportunity for a candidate who is keen to learn how to work with pastry, and make our popular pies and cakes from scratch using organic and many farm-reared ingredients. Being onsite a biodynamic farm, they will gain understanding of how a “farm to fork” production process works.
The successful candidate must be willing to work and prepare food with an adult from our care home, who has learning disabilities, once or twice a week.
The ideal candidate will:
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Assist the Pie Kitchen Manager in the making of our pies, cakes and other goods. The tasks include:
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Preparing ingredients, such as washing and chopping vegetables, mixing eggs, cutting pastry;
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Assisting the cooking of ingredients as per the Pie Kitchen Manager’s instructions and recipes;
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Delivering products to the farm shop and cafe.
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Keep a high level of cleanliness and hygiene, both personally and in the pie kitchen.
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Demonstrate exceptional timekeeping and reliability.
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Comply with food handling and hygiene standards.
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Comply with health and safety regulations.
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Work with a care home resident and undertake training assigned by the Care Home Manager.
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Work effectively in a team and collaboratively with all other Tablehurst staff and volunteers.
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Have a genuine interest in how our animals are reared and in how we farm.
Please send your CV and cover letter, explaining why you're interested in the role, to office@tablehurstfarm.org.uk.
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