Apprenticeship

The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways are two of the UK’s most popular heritage railways, located in the heart of picturesque Snowdonia. We are expanding our kitchen team at Spooner’s, our main catering outlet situated on Harbour Station in Porthmadog.
We are looking for hardworking, enthusiastic individuals to join our dedicated team of kitchen staff working in Spooner’s.
We can offer you:
• National Living / Minimum wage for age
• Seasonal contract from March 2026 to 1st November 2026, with the possibility of extension to January 2027
• Flexible shifts to suit candidate: minimum 2 days per week, maximum 5 days per week
• The pro rata equivalent of 28 days paid holiday, inclusive of all bank and public holidays
• Enrolment into the company pension scheme after a qualifying period
• Opportunities for training and progression
• Travel benefits on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways and staff discounts in shops and cafes.
Key duties will include preparing food for our picnic baskets, using fresh local produce, preparing sandwiches and light lunches to meet expected demand, or to order; and assisting our team of chefs with providing our daytime and evening menus. You will also be responsible for basic kitchen tasks such as cleaning and washing up and may be required to work in our Tea Rooms at Tan y Bwlch station on occasion. The successful candidate will have a passion for preparing and presenting simple, good quality food. Previous experience of working in hospitality or catering is desirable, but not essential.
The ideal candidate will be flexible, able to work on weekdays or weekends and occasional evening shifts; and will be comfortable with lone working and early starts to prepare the picnic baskets to meet demand. Hours of work will vary and hours may be available to suit candidate, with up to 40 hours per week available during the busy summer season.
Core Skills:
• Experience; either professionally or in a domestic setting; of preparing and presenting simple meals
• Must be a team player
• Must be able to work on own initiative
• Good communication skills
• The ability to work cleanly and tidily
• A basic knowledge and understanding of food and kitchen hygiene is desirable
• The ability to speak Welsh would be an advantage as would knowledge of the railways and their passengers; and the local area.
Applicants for this position must be aged 18 or over and have the right to work in the UK.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.