Food and Beverage

Our passion for food comes from the way we work. It’s the fresh, seasonal ingredients we use in every dish. It’s having nature, beauty and history right outside our window. And it’s the chance to support Europe’s largest conservation charity with everything we do. Food and Beverage at the National Trust is more than tea and cake, it’s an integral part of what makes visiting the places we care for memorable for our members and supporters.

We’re one of the UK’s largest and most diverse food and beverage businesses – covering everything from hill-top tearooms to boathouse cafes to parkland kiosks. We serve up fresh, local and seasonal food to more than 20 million people a year generating millions of pounds, of which every penny is reinvested into our important conservation work.

And this is just the beginning. With exciting growth plans and a lot of ideas to expand and improve what we do, it’s a great time to join one of our passionate food and beverage teams. You’ll get to work with people who love food as much as you do, while enjoying the buzz and satisfaction of serving up delicious, wholesome dishes and providing outstanding service in some of the nation’s most historic, wild and precious settings.

Whether you join us as a Food and Beverage Assistant, Cook, Head Chef or Food and Beverage Manager, you’ll share our enthusiasm for fresh food and memorable dining experiences. We pride ourselves on making sure our customers know where their food has come from. That’s why we use local and seasonal produce, a lot of which is grown in our very own kitchen gardens or by tenant farmers or local suppliers.

The National Trust Cookbook is at the centre of everything we make. All of our food and beverage teams use it to ensure our food helps tell the stories of the places we look after. After all, food and beverage is an important part of both the experiences we offer, and how we protect and care for places across the nation.

Variety and challenge will always be on the menu in all of our restaurants – so if you want to work with great teams and seasonal produce from local lands, find a role and apply today.

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We’re one big family

The work our Food and Beverage teams do helps to support our organisation and the places we look after for years to come. Not only do our teams play a vital role in creating a positive visitor experience, but the money earned in our cafes and restaurants goes directly towards protecting our properties and spaces for the future. With a variety of roles available, there’s room to find and grow your career. Hear from Paige, James, Yas and Hannah as they reveal what it’s like to be part of the National Trust family. Find out why they love working in the Food and Beverage team and why no two days are ever the same.

Typical roles

We have a lot of different opportunities in Food and Beverage across over 200 places and our national team. Our national teams contribute to sourcing, product development, training, communication, delivery, food safety, environmental practices and infrastructure, which all help deliver a stand-out food and drink experience to our visitors, in line with our ambition of “good food, doing good”.

Food and Beverage Team Member

You’ll be part of an energetic and passionate team who welcome visitors and provide the experience that keeps them coming back. You’ll be hands-on, making sure that we’re always serving delicious food and drinks, and playing an integral role in every visitor’s experience.

Food and Beverage Manager

Inspiring a team with your passion for food and customer service, you’ll use your food and beverage know-how, bright ideas and commercial mindset to keep our visitors coming back for more.

Chef

You’ll be passionate about taking local, seasonal ingredients and making great quality food prepared on-site, supported by our National Trust Cookbook. You’ll take pride in ensuring every dish meets our high standards and enhances each visitor’s experience.

The things we do for you

We want you to learn, discover and develop your career. And we’ll do everything we can to offer you the training, support and development that you need to achieve your goals. This could, for example, include helping you to study for a professional qualification appropriate to your career, trying something new or moving into a different business area. We’ll work with you to plan your development in a way that’s right for your needs.

Investing in you

Induction. Your learning in the Trust starts with your induction. Whatever role you're here to do we'll explain what to expect, show you where to go and make sure you understand your new environment before you get going.

Personal career progression development programme. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to development. Tailored to you our ‘Grow Your Own Career’ approach is in place to help you identify where you see your career heading, and the best ways to get there.

Learning resources. We all learn in different ways and respond to different styles. It’s what works for you, whether that’s on-the-job training, flexible e-learning or one-to-one support. And in an organisation of our size and diversity, there’s plenty of room to develop and places to go.

Future Engage and Deliver leadership programme. If you’re in a management role we’ll support you to become a better leader through our ‘Future Engage and Deliver’ leadership programme. The programme is designed to make sure you’re well-equipped with the skills and confidence to lead your teams to deliver our plans.

Professional subscriptions. If you need to hold a qualification for your role, from either a legal or professional point of view, we’ll cover the cost of your membership fee. We’ll need to see that it’s part of your continuous professional development, though.

Employee volunteering. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the National Trust and many other charities. That's why we'll give you every opportunity to get involved with some volunteering outside the Trust. It's also a brilliant way to try new things, learn new skills and meet new people. So we'll give you up to five paid days per year to do your bit.

Secondments. Secondments are an excellent way for you to gain and practise new skills in real life situations, preparing you for a potential next career move. They usually last from three to 12 months – ideal for temporary or project roles.

Food and Beverage people

Joe

Head Chef

I took a job in the Trust for a better work life balance and now I can't imagine life without working here! The team are like a second family and every day I get to do something I love in such a beautiful place.
James

Area Manager

I love working as an Area Manager for the Trust as the role offers so much variety and challenge. Each of our properties is different and we play an essential part in making our Food and Beverage operations successful.
Steve

Senior Food and Beverage Manager

When I joined Calke Abbey, I fell in love with the Trust. I’d never worked anywhere that shared my ethos and passion for making exceptional, locally-produced food from scratch. As a foodie, it doesn’t get better than that. In my current role I am fortunate enough to lead a huge team of equally passionate individuals that strive to deliver an exceptional service to our visitors.