Caterer

The Mill Retreat Centre in northern France is looking for an experienced chef to cater for our retreats This is a fantastic opportunity to work at a beautiful retreat centre in Normandy, France (approx Only 1.5 hours drive from Folkstone/Calais to the Mill Retreat Centre).

The Mill Retreat Centre is a spectacular large centre available to hire for private groups, who are working for the good in some form. Examples of groups who use the centre are: environmental, charitable, creative, spiritual, religious, alternative medicine, Yoga and more.

We are looking for a chef to cater for approximately 12-15 retreats per year, with usually 15-30 people at each retreat, occasionally more which can be anywhere from 2 nights to 7 nights long.

The right chef is passionate about and confident in preparing healthy and interesting meals with good quality often organic ingredients. You will need to be capable of creating a vegetarian-only menu for certain retreats, and switching in meat/fish from time to time. It is also imperative that you are happy to cater for specific dietary requests in a creative way. We pride ourselves on providing delicious healthy meals at each retreat, and our food is often the reason retreat guests keep coming back to the Mill each year

The right chef for the Mill will be able to cater for large groups of people, must be very reliable and trustworthy. We are looking for someone who can be flexible (with planning and also finances), as there may be some months when you only have one or two small catered retreats, and some months where you will have 3 longer and larger retreats.

You will work alongside our caretaker at the Mill, so although you will be working alone in the kitchen it is important that you work well with others (you are welcome to arrange your own kitchen help for larger groups if needed). A polite, respectful and friendly manner is required at all times when interacting with the guests and retreat organiser(s). You will need to liaise directly with the retreat organiser re. retreat menus and meal times.
Due to the nature of the Mill and its ethos, it would be beneficial if you have your own spiritual practice or are familiar with alternative ways of living.

This is a non-residential role, where you will be required to travel to the Mill for each retreat so it is essential that you have your own reliable vehicle. A private room will be provided for you to use during each retreat.

Retreats are held at The Mill between March/April to October/November each year. So this role would suit someone who has other arrangements over winter.

During the busier months, you may cater for a few back-to-back retreats (usually with at least 2 days off in-between) so the role would be suited to someone who is happy to be away from home for a few weeks at a time.

We are a UK company, with the majority of our retreats coming from the UK and English being mainly spoken. You must legally have the right to work in the UK, and be registered as self-employed. Although this position is seasonal (March to November), we are looking for someone who is able to commit long-term.

Salary & Benefits
Salary paid as a daily per-person rate of £32pp for veggie, and a £3pp meat/fish add-on if chosen by the guests.
Daily rate of £100 paid for cleaning before each retreat
Free accommodation during retreats
Travel Costs paid: Ferry/Eurotunnel crossings and petrol fully reimbursed

If you feel this job is a good fit for you but have some commitments for Summer 2025 already, please still apply. We can find cover for one or two retreats if needed.

Start date: April/May 2025 we are looking for a long commitment.

**Job Type**: Freelance

Work Location: In person

**Job Type**: Part-time

Work Location: In person

Expected start date: 02/04/2025