Food Educator

**Job Title**: Food Educator

**Location**: HMP/YOI Stoke Heath, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 2JL

**Hours**:2 x days per week

**Contract Type**: Permanent

**Contract Length**: 12 months

**Remuneration**: £32,000 pro rata (approximately £12,800 annually)

**About us**

Food Behind Bars is the leading charity dedicated to transforming the food served in British prisons. We deliver a variety of services and projects at men’s and women’s prisons across the UK, including cookery classes, menu development, food growing, baking and butchery. Our activities cover every aspect of food, cooking, eating and hospitality. We work with prisons on a bespoke basis, co-designing original initiatives that enable prisons to champion wholesome, tasty and exciting food. Our work is shaped around each unique establishment and united by our philosophy of wholesome food for everyone in society.

**Job purpose**

We are looking for a dynamic and inspiring Food Educator to deliver an exciting cookery education programme at HMP Stoke Heath in Shropshire. You will be responsible for delivering engaging cooking sessions to groups of healthcare service users in a working education kitchen. You will also deliver classroom-based food education workshops which involve recipe development, menu planning and healthy eating.

Each session will be part of our Food 360 course - an integrated programme of food education that takes participants on a journey through food which ultimately leaves them more confident, connected and healthier. The aim of Food 360 is to influence, excite and inspire individuals around food, allowing them to make healthier choices and equipping them with skills and ideas to utilise beyond release. You will be responsible for leading this programme at HMP Stoke Heath.

You will have the opportunity to teach participants how to make a variety of dishes - previous examples of our Food 360 sessions include “One chicken, three ways”, “Store cupboard cookery” and “Healthy baking”. Prisoners will be encouraged to cook, eat and learn together, boosting their wellbeing and gaining skills and confidence in the kitchen that could support their life on release.

We are looking for someone who truly wants to make a difference. This is an opportunity to make your mark, by helping design and deliver a programme of education that supports some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.

**Responsibilities**
- Deliver a set of practical and engaging cooking classes to groups of between 6-8 prisoners per cohort at HMP Stoke Heath.
- Work with the prisoners on their individual goals, adapting the course to support their needs and requirements.
- Help design each Food 360 session to make them as exciting and thoughtful as possible.
- Organise food deliveries to ensure we have all the appropriate ingredients to deliver the sessions.
- Liaise with prison staff to ensure classes run smoothly and work alongside the existing prison regime.
- Assist the FBB team in recruiting prisoners to attend the sessions.
- Help integrate the programme into the wider prison activities, e.g. food growing, cultural celebrations, seasons etc.

**Requirements**:

- A passionate and experienced trained chef who is looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact through food.
- An advocate for healthy eating and positive food practices.
- An understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals relating to food access, diet and wellbeing, desired, but not essential.
- A positive can-do attitude and a desire to use their skill set to make a difference.
- An ability to approach all situations with confidence, flexibility and an open mind.
- Experience of previous cookery teaching is desired but not essential.

**Additional information**
- This is a permanent employed position working part time.
- All working hours will be based at HMP Stoke Heath.

**Job Types**: Part-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

**Salary**: £32,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 16 per week

**Benefits**:

- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking

Schedule:

- Day shift
- No weekends

Work Location: In person