THIS IS A PERMANENT POSITION ONLY. WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A FREELANCE COOK THAT CAN COVER PART OF THE YEAR. The client is looking for someone genuinely wanting to relocate to the area (or already living in the area) and live on the Estate and become very much part of the team. Must drive with a car.
A competent, organised, creative, discreet, and reliable cook with a passion for using seasonal, organic, and local produce is required to work in a private home near Stow on the Wold. This is a wonderful opportunity for someone local to Stow on the Wold that would like regular, consistent work cooking for a family using beautiful produce. Accommodation is also available which is suitable for a partner/pet/family. We are only interested in candidates who are either interested in relocating and living in the accommodation provided on the Estate, or who lives less than 20 minutes away from Stow on the Wold. This job will be paid on a payroll, and ideally looking to start Jan 2026.
The family consists of 2 adults and 4 children (aged 11-18). Healthy, active, busy family. School holidays and weekends are busier than term time as the children are away at school, but the client requires someone fully committed to this job year round on either full or a part time basis (to be decided depending on the cooks needs, this could be 3 days or could be 5 days but two of those days will always either be a Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday, and so the cook really needs to be very happy and able to work at weekends). The cook must be family friendly and love dogs, the countryside, farming and have a passion for using local, seasonal, organic and fresh ingredients within their cooking.
The cook must be experienced and able to produce well thought out, balanced food that is well presented and cooked to a very high standard. It is essential the cook is able to be relied upon and has a flexible attitude. Family style cooking but needs to be really good, everything completely home made from scratch (including sauces) and no processed foods used at all, so the cook must be passionate about this style of cooking and using local, seasonal, organic, wholesome ingredients. It is important to the family that the cook enjoys using the garden and farm produce and is interested in cooking this way.
The cook must be organised and able to manage their own time efficiently. Discretion is paramount, and the ability to work alone using their own initiative is essential.
The cook should be a driver with their own car and be within commutable distance to Stow on the Wold if living out (within 20 mins to Stow is essential). This is a permanent 3-5 day a week role paid on a payroll, with statutory holiday allowance. Salary depends on experience and expectation.
Duties:
All menu planning, food ordering, food prep, food delivery, serving and clearing in the house as required
Stock Control – cupboard organisation – re ordering ingredients once they have finished, including household supplies such as washing up liquid and any other compulsory items to ensure the home runs smoothly
Freezer/fridge organisation – keeping this tidy, labelled and in date
Keeping pantry, larder and cooking areas of main kitchen clean and tidy.
Looking after/maintaining kitchen equipment
Larder stores up to date
Make things using garden produce if the family are away
Prepping food/menus for holiday trips (when the family travel to Scotland)
Helping with table laying, dishwashers and clearing up when required
During the week there may be the occasional lunch/entertaining but the busiest times are the weekends, so the cooking in the week is mainly to fill the fridge/freezer
Availability/Timing
3-5 days per week including working weekends
Flexibility required to shift work days depending on the household schedule (which is planned well in advance)
Bank Holidays and Christmas - the cook must be available and happy to work these
Holiday allowance ideally to be taken in conjunction with family holidays, but flexibility at other times can be considered with notice
Hours tend to be day time 9am – 5pm but occasional dinner parties will be required, so the cook should be flexible to stay later but will always have notice for these
There will be 4/5 shoot lunches to cook for in the winter and occasionally food needs to be prepared at an events venue locally to the house, and the cook must be happy to be flexible with requirements, and able to cook for larger numbers when needed
We will only be considering candidates who are currently working as either a Freelance Private Cook or a Permanent Private cook. You must have excellent, checkable references from private households and a really good portfolio of food images. Style is Ballymaloe/Diana Henry type food and presentation should be fresh and eye catching. The cook must be happy to be in direct communication with the client and should be extremely reliable, organised and discreet.
If you are interested in this role, please e mail your CV to ella@sugarellacooks.co.uk along with some images of your food, sample menus and availability. The family are ideally looking to have someone start this role from January, with trials before hand. Please do not apply if you are more than 20 minutes drive from Stow on the Wold, the client will not consider these applicants, unless you are willing to relocate. We must stress the need to be available at weekends is essential!