Pay: up to £14.60 per hour depending on experience
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week, complete flexibility of days required
Location: The Balloon Tree Farm Shop & Café, Gate Helmsley, York

Join our kitchen team

At The Balloon Tree, we believe that great food starts with great ingredients.

Our café kitchen is built around proper home cooking, seasonal produce and traditional recipes. Much of our fruit and vegetables are grown here on the farm, with the rest carefully sourced from trusted Yorkshire suppliers. Everything we serve is made with care, from scratch, by a team who takes real pride in what they do.

We’re looking for an experienced and reliable Chef to join our busy daytime kitchen. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves cooking fresh, homemade food and wants to be part of a friendly, close-knit team where ideas are welcomed and your experience is valued.

You’ll have the opportunity to contribute to our changing specials board, work with fantastic seasonal ingredients and help create the dishes that our loyal customers return for time and time again.

The role

• Full-time position, approximately 40 hours per week
• Daytime hours only – no evenings or split shifts
• Typical shifts are around 8:00am–5:30pm
• Flexibility is required, with the average working week being Wednesday to Sunday
• Regular weekend working is essential

What you’ll be doing

• Preparing and cooking fresh, homemade dishes using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients
• Maintaining consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and portion control
• Helping to develop daily and seasonal specials alongside the kitchen team
• Supporting smooth service during busy periods
• Maintaining excellent food hygiene and safety standards
• Assisting with stock control, ordering and reducing food waste
• Keeping the kitchen clean, organised and compliant with food safety requirements
• Working closely with the front-of-house team to provide excellent customer experiences
• Supporting your colleagues and contributing to a positive kitchen environment

What we’re looking for

The successful candidate will have:

• Previous experience working as a Chef in a busy café, restaurant or similar hospitality environment (essential)
• A genuine passion for fresh, seasonal ingredients and quality homemade food
• The ability to prepare traditional dishes to a consistently high standard
• A calm and organised approach, even during busy service
• Strong knowledge of food safety and kitchen hygiene
• Good communication skills and a positive, team-focused attitude
• Pride in your work and attention to detail
• A recognised catering qualification would be desirable, but relevant experience and a passion for cooking are equally valued.

Due to our rural location, your own transport is essential.

Why join The Balloon Tree?

The Balloon Tree is a family-run farm shop and café with over 40 years of farming heritage and a strong reputation for quality food and friendly service.

Our kitchen team plays an important part in creating the experience our customers love — from homemade breakfasts and lunches to seasonal specials made using produce grown right here on the farm.

We offer:

• Daytime hours only, with no evening shifts
• A great work-life balance
• Staff discount
• Free on-site parking
• A friendly and supportive working environment
• The opportunity to share your ideas and help shape our seasonal menus

If you’re passionate about good food, enjoy working with fresh ingredients and want to be part of a team that genuinely cares about what it serves, we’d love to hear from you.

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to info@theballoontree.co.uk

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and reliable Finance & Accounts Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day financial administration of The Balloon Tree Farm Shop & Café.

This is an important role within our family-run business. Our current bookkeeper has been with The Balloon Tree since the very beginning and is now retiring, so we are looking for someone who can take over the running of our finance function and become a trusted member of the team.

Working closely with the Directors, department managers and our external accountants, you will ensure that our financial records are accurate, our suppliers are paid correctly and on time, our VAT and financial obligations are met, and that the Directors have clear and useful financial information to support business decisions.

As we continue to develop the business, there will also be opportunities for the successful candidate to help modernise and improve the way we manage our finances.

Key Responsibilities

Purchase Ledger & Supplier Management

• Process and maintain 50+ supplier invoices per week.
• Accurately record and allocate supplier invoices within the accounting system.
• Work closely with purchasing and department managers to resolve invoice queries and discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate supplier account records.
• Reconcile supplier statements.
• Prepare and process regular supplier payment runs.
• Ensure supplier payments are made accurately and within agreed terms.

Banking & Reconciliations

• Complete regular bank reconciliations.
• Reconcile cash takings, card receipts and other payment methods.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies promptly.
• Ensure financial transactions are accurately recorded, coded and allocated.
• Maintain appropriate financial controls and records.

VAT & Compliance

• Prepare VAT returns and ensure they are submitted accurately and on time.
• Maintain accurate records to support VAT compliance.
• Work alongside our external accountants on year-end accounts and other statutory requirements.
• Provide information and supporting documentation requested by our external accountants.
• Maintain appropriate financial documentation and records.

Management Accounts & Reporting

• Produce monthly management accounts and profit and loss reports.
• Prepare departmental profit and loss reporting.
• Monitor income, expenditure, margins and financial performance.
  Identify significant trends, variances and areas requiring further investigation.
• Provide clear financial information to the Directors and management team to support commercial decision making.
• Help develop more effective and accessible financial reporting as the business grows.

Finance Systems & Process Improvement

• Review existing finance processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Reduce unnecessary manual paperwork and introduce appropriate digital processes.
• Support the transition to electronic document management.
• Help reduce reliance on manual Excel-based reporting.
• Support the potential migration from Sage to cloud-based accounting software such as Xero.
• Help ensure that financial processes remain appropriate as the business continues to grow.

Payroll Administration – Desirable / Future Development

Payroll experience would be advantageous but is not essential.

Depending on experience and business requirements, there may be opportunities to become involved in:

• Payroll processing.
• Pension administration.
• HMRC payroll submissions.
• SSP and SMP calculations.
• General payroll administration and reporting.

About You

We are looking for someone who is experienced, organised and comfortable taking ownership of a finance function.

Essential:

• Proven experience in SME bookkeeping, accounts or finance management.
• Strong knowledge of bookkeeping, reconciliations, VAT and month-end procedures.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Able to work independently and manage priorities effectively.
• Confident investigating discrepancies and resolving financial queries.
• Comfortable working with Directors, managers, suppliers and external accountants.
• Discreet and trustworthy when handling confidential financial information.
• Able to communicate financial information clearly to people who are not finance specialists.

Desirable:

• Experience working within a retail, hospitality, food or multi-department business.
• Experience producing departmental management accounts.
• Knowledge of stock, cost of sales and gross margin reporting.
• Experience with Sage and/or Xero.
  Payroll experience.
• Experience of improving or implementing finance systems and processes.
• A relevant bookkeeping or accountancy qualification.

The Role

Hours: 16–30 hours per week, typically across 2–4 days.

We are happy to discuss working patterns with the right candidate and would consider some hybrid working, although regular attendance at The Balloon Tree will be important.

Salary: Dependent on experience.

Why Join The Balloon Tree?

The Balloon Tree is a well-established, independent, family-run Farm Shop & Café with a strong reputation locally.

This is an opportunity to join the business at an exciting point in its development. You will be taking over an important role from a long-standing member of the Balloon Tree family, while also helping shape the next stage of our finance function.

We are looking for someone who wants to become part of the business, not simply process the numbers from a distance.

If you are an experienced finance professional who enjoys working independently, takes pride in getting things right and would like to play an important role in a growing family business, we would love to hear from you. To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to tom@theballoontree.co.uk