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Working at Perrywood

Our mission is to offer a memorable garden centre experience; delivering wow customer service and giving employees, customers, suppliers & community a reason to smile.

Our vision is to inspire people to get more plants in their lives.

Read more about our Visions and Values

Current Vacancies

Health & Safety Manager (Part-time)

We're looking for someone who wants to lead a senior, strategic H&S function — visible, values-driven, and genuinely woven into how the business runs. As Perrywood continues to grow, this role is about building on strong foundations: shaping culture, supporting managers, and keeping pace with change across all our sites.

If you enjoy continuous improvement, leading positive change, and turning good practice into a strong culture, you'll enjoy working here. As Health & Safety Manager, you’ll own the H&S function across the whole business, reporting directly to a Director. You’ll set the strategy, shape the culture, ensure our systems are the best they can be, and make every site a safe place to shop, dine, and work.

To apply for this role, please speak directly with Natalie at Casanovas Recruitment Solutions, who is managing the recruitment for us.

01787 703702 / 07855 371828 / natalie@casanovasrecruitment.com

Retail Sales Assistant (Outdoor Living & Christmas) (Full-time) - Tiptree

We are looking for a cheerful individual with proven retail experience who can take responsibility for specific product areas, driving sales and delivering excellent customer service.

Please send your CV and a covering letter to jobs@perrywood.co.uk.

Full job description

Chef de Partie (Full-time) - Tiptree

We are looking for a passionate Chef to join
our kitchen team. This is a very busy and demanding job and will need a chef
that is able to multi task and work at speed whilst remaining focused on consistently
delivering to our high standards.

Please send your CV and a covering letter to jobs@perrywood.co.uk.

Full job description

Head Chef (Full-time) - Sudbury

We are recruiting for an experienced and motivated Head Chef to lead our brand new kitchen, serving a 200-seat restaurant at the heart of our garden centre. This is an excellent opportunity for a strong kitchen leader who wants to deliver high quality fresh food in a professional daytime environment with no evening or split shifts. We are looking for someone who will lead the kitchen team day-to-day, work closely with our Group Executive Chef, and help shape a positive, organised, and supportive kitchen culture.

Please send your CV and a covering letter to jobs@perrywood.co.uk.

Full job description

Sous Chef (Full-time) - Sudbury

We are excited to be recruiting for a talented and motivated Sous Chef to join our brand-new kitchen, serving 200-seat restaurant at the heart of our garden centre.

This is an exciting opportunity
for an experienced chef who is ready to take a leading role — supporting the Head Chef, guiding the team day-to-day, and helping to create a positive, collaborative kitchen culture where everyone can thrive. We are looking for someone who leads by example: calm under pressure, organised, and genuinely passionate about mentoring others.

Please send your CV and a covering letter to jobs@perrywood.co.uk.

Full job description

Chef de Partie (Full-time) - Sudbury

We are looking for a passionate Chef to join
our kitchen team. This is a very busy and demanding job and will need a chef
that is able to multi task and work at speed whilst remaining focused on consistently
delivering to our high standards.

Please send your CV and a covering letter to jobs@perrywood.co.uk.

Full job description

If you are applying for a job at Perrywood Sudbury, please visit their website for other information.

Perrywood Sudbury Website

Application Process

Please email jobs@perrywood.co.uk with your CV and a short covering letter detailing the position you are applying for and why you feel you’re appropriate for the role, outlining any relevant experience.

We will aim to respond to successful applications within 2 weeks of the closing deadline. We apologise but it is not possible for us to respond to applicants who are not successful.

Perrywood is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please inform us as soon as you are able so that we can make the appropriate adjustments.

We are always interested in hearing from candidates with proven horticultural or retailing experience. Even if a relevant vacancy is not listed, please send your CV in if you think you have experience we would be interested in. 

We reserve the right to close an advertised vacancy early due to a particularly high response rate.

Unfortunately, we are unable to employ students until they have completed their GCSE’s.

Careers at Perrywood Gallery

Working at Perrywood

Perrywood Tiptree is a family-owned garden centre and nursery run by the Bourne family. Alan Bourne is the MD and Plant Buyer. Karin Bourne has retired from day to day business operations. Their three children – Hannah Powell (Communications & HR Director), Simon Bourne (Retail Director) and Tristan Bourne (Operations Director), make up the rest of the board.

  • Part-uniform provided
  • Paid holiday
  • Annual Christmas bonus
  • From the start of your employment, you will receive 10% discount on specific items. Following a successful probation period the discount increases up to 20% discount on specific items and after one years service up to 40% discount on specific items.
  • Retail discount scheme
  • Employee assistance programme
  • Workplace pension
  • Free parking

Perrywood Tiptree is 5 minutes from the A12 and easily accessible by car from much of Essex including Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon, Mersea Island, Coggeshall and further afield. There is also a bus service which stops at our entrance but it is not a regular service.

Perrywood Sudbury is our second centre which we took over in September 2018 with a new centre built in October 2025.

Perrywood Buckhatch is our third centre which we took over in September 2024.

It’s an exciting time to join!

Supporting the Community

We have signed the Mindful Employer charter – this is a national initiative supporting employers to take a positive approach towards mental health at work. By signing the Mindful Employer charter employers can make a public declaration of their ambition to support the mental wellbeing of their staff.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives.

We are a Disability Confident organisation.

Mindful Employer Mindful Employer Mindful Employer Mindful Employer

Recognition & Awards

Our Tiptree garden centre has been recognised for the work we do, nationally, regionally and within the garden centre industry:

  • Garden Centre of Excellence

    1st in the Garden Centre Association (GCA) league table of ‘top 100 garden centres in the UK’ 2024

  • Destination Garden Centre of the Year - North Thames Region

    at the Garden Centre Association Awards 2025

  • 2024 National Garden Centre Association Awards
    • Ruxley Rose award for Best Plant Area - Destination Garden Centre category
    • The Barton Grange Trophy - Commercial Innovation & Creativity
    • The Customer Service Award
    • The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer - Destination Garden Centre category
    • Ian Boardman Award for Best Indoor Plants Retailer - Destination Garden Centre category
  • 2025 North Thames Garden Centre Association Awards
    • Ruxley Rose award for Best Plant Area - Destination Garden Centre category
    • Best Garden Centre Restaurant - Destination Garden Centre category
    • The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer - Destination Garden Centre category
    • Ian Boardman Award for Best Indoor Plants Retailer - Destination Garden Centre category
    • The Paul Cooling Award for Environment and Sustainability
    • Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer - Destination Garden Centre category
    • The Barton Grange Trophy - Commercial Innovation & Creativity
    • Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer - Destination Garden Centre category - 2nd place

In recent years we have also won, or been shortlisted, for other awards in catering, customer service,
food & drink, gifts retailing and more!

Work Experience

If you are interested in work experience at Perrywood, please email jobs@perrywood.co.uk

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