As an Apprentice Baker with The Flour Pot Bakery, you will have the opportunity to develop your craft within an award-winning, multi-site artisan bakery business, combining college-based learning with hands-on experience across our bakery departments.
Working alongside our experienced bakery teams, you will gain exposure to the full bakery operation, rotating across our Bread, Viennoiserie and Pastry departments. This unique placement will allow you to learn traditional artisan baking methods, while also understanding the processes and standards required to operate within a growing, multi-site bakery business.
You will develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours required to become a skilled baker, learning how to produce a wide range of high-quality bakery products, including artisan breads, laminated pastries, viennoiserie, cakes and pastries.
As an Apprentice Baker at The Flour Pot Bakery, you will learn how to produce exceptional bakery products using a combination of traditional craft techniques and modern bakery processes. You will work safely and hygienically, following recipes, production methods and quality standards to ensure every product meets our customers’ expectations.
Throughout your apprenticeship, you will gain experience across different areas of our bakery, including:
Learning traditional bread-making techniques, including mixing, shaping, proving and baking.
Producing a range of artisan breads to Flour Pot Bakery standards.
Understanding fermentation processes and how they influence flavour, texture and quality.
Learning the craft of producing laminated dough products, including croissants and other pastries.
Understanding dough preparation, shaping, proving and finishing techniques.
Developing attention to detail to consistently produce high-quality products.
Producing a variety of pastry and confectionery products.
Learning finishing, decoration and presentation techniques.
Understanding recipe specifications and product consistency.
During your apprenticeship, you will learn how to:
Prepare bakery products for customers (internal Flour Pot and wholesale external).
Measure and weigh ingredients accurately according to recipes and production specifications.
Follow production schedules and contribute to meeting bakery requirements.
Maintain a clean, organised and safe bakery environment in line with food safety standards.
Complete bakery documentation and records, including hygiene checks, production records, weights and compliance documentation.
Follow health and safety procedures when working with bakery equipment and machinery.
Use bakery equipment safely, including mixers, ovens and other production machinery.
Identify issues with products or processes and contribute towards improvements.
Work collaboratively with bakery teams across multiple departments and sites.
Develop an understanding of how an artisan bakery operates commercially, from production through to customer experience.
Alongside developing core bakery skills and knowledge, you will complete a specialist pathway aligned to your role, which may include:
Craft Baker
Instore Baker
Retail Baker
You will develop the practical skills required to produce craft breads, pastries and confectionery products to specification, while learning how to adapt recipes and processes to meet bakery production requirements.
As part of your apprenticeship, you will combine practical workplace experience at The Flour Pot Bakery with structured learning whilst at Plumpton College.
You will receive support and guidance from experienced bakers and mentors, gaining valuable industry knowledge and developing the skills needed for a successful career within professional baking.
You will learn:
Traditional artisan baking techniques.
Bakery production methods and processes.
Food safety, hygiene and legal compliance.
Ingredient knowledge and recipe understanding.
Quality control and maintaining product standards.
Teamwork, communication and professional behaviours within a bakery environment.
Upon successful completion of your apprenticeship, you will achieve:
For apprentices aged 18 or under at the time of enrolment, you will normally require one of the following:
GCSE Grade 4/C or above in English and Maths.
GCSE Grade 1 or above in English and Maths.
Entry Level 3 Functional Skills English and Maths (or equivalent qualification).
If you do not meet the entry requirements for English and Maths, please speak with us. We recognise that previous education experiences can vary and will consider applications on an individual basis.
For apprentices aged 19 and over at the time of enrolment, Functional Skills English and Maths may be optional. The college will support your development and discuss the opportunities available as part of your apprenticeship journey.
As part of the enrolment process, you will complete an initial assessment in English and Maths to determine your current working level and identify any additional support required.
We are looking for someone who:
Has a genuine passion for baking and creating high-quality products.
Is eager to learn traditional artisan baking techniques.
Has a positive attitude and willingness to develop new skills.
Takes pride in their work and has strong attention to detail.
Works well as part of a team.
Is reliable, hardworking and committed to their apprenticeship journey.
This apprenticeship provides a fantastic opportunity to start your career within an award-winning bakery environment, learning from experienced craft bakers and gaining valuable exposure across a diverse, multi-site artisan bakery business.
Please note this apprenticeship is based on a 36 hour week - 8 hours based at college and 28 hours based in the workplace.
