Jobs

Anrida Abeywickrema- Assistant Cook, Hertfordshire Catering

Anrida Abeywickrema was an accountant until she gave up her job to have children.

It was only when her two sons, now aged eight and nine, were older and settled in school that she thought about returning to work – but going back to a full-time accountancy job plus her husband’s demanding work as a doctor didn’t add up to the family life the couple wanted their boys to enjoy.

That’s what prompted Anrida to apply for the job when she saw Hertfordshire Catering’s advertisement for a General Catering Assistant at Simon Balle School in Hertford.

“The hours are from 9am to 2.30pm and you don’t work in the school holidays, so it was perfect,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to be with my sons at home.”

When she took on the job last September, Anrida had no experience of catering so there was much to learn. “There was plenty of on-the-job training and it covered safety and hygiene as well as food preparation and cooking techniques,” she said.

“I’ve always enjoyed cooking at home and making up my own recipes. Cooking for a school is very different because you deal with bulk quantities and follow set menus and recipes but once you get the hang of it, it’s fine.”

In fact, it’s so fine that within a year of starting work as a General Catering Assistant, Anrida has been promoted to Assistant Cook.