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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

Catering Operations Manager (Full-time) - Tiptree

Responsible for catering at all three locations.

Please email penny@pennycookrecruitment.co.uk
if you’d like to know more.

Sous Chef (Full-time) - Tiptree

We are proud to hold a reputation for delivering high-quality food every day. You will be preparing and serving breakfasts and lunches from both the hot and cold sections of the kitchen, including a wide range of our ever popular free from dishes.


You will need to keep up with the demand that our 270-seat restaurant and separate Greenhouse Café brings and have good knowledge of allergens and special dietary requirements.

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

Full job description

Seasonal Garden Centre Assistant (Part-time) - Tiptree

Working with our retail area supporting our
sales and till assistants; we are looking for motivated individuals who can
follow instructions and communicate with customers.

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

Full job description

Weekend Garden Centre Assistant (Part-time) - Sudbury

Working with our retail area supporting our
sales and till assistants; we are looking for motivated individuals who can
follow instructions and communicate with customers.

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

Full job description

Seasonal Weekend Garden Centre Assistant (Part-time) - Sudbury

Working with our retail area supporting our
sales and till assistants; we are looking for motivated individuals who can
follow instructions and communicate with customers.

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

Full job description

Seasonal Retail Sales Assistant (Garden Sundries) (Full-time) - Sudbury

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

Fixed-term contract until July 2026.

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

Full job description

Seasonal Weekend Till Assistant (Part-time) - Sudbury

We are looking for a Till Assistant to join our friendly Shop Floor team working in our retail areas. As well as serving customers with plants and products, you will be gift wrapping and stocking up.

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

Full job description

Seasonal Plant Area Assistant (Full-time) - Sudbury

Our busiest season is just around the corner, and we’d love your help!
We’re recruiting Seasonal Team Members to support our Outdoor Plant and Bedding/Seasonal areas. You will be part of our Plant Area team assisting the team in stocking up, moving and maintaining plants and moving trolleys, helping with basic customer queries.

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

Deadline for applications: Friday 27th February, 2026

Full job description

Seasonal Plant Area Assistant (Part-time) - Sudbury

Our busiest season is just around the corner, and we’d love your help!
We’re recruiting Seasonal Team Members to support our Outdoor Plant and Bedding/Seasonal areas. You will be part of our Plant Area team assisting the team in stocking up, moving and maintaining plants and moving trolleys, helping with basic customer queries.

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

Deadline for applications: Friday 27th February, 2026

Full job description

Head Chef (Full-time) - Buckhatch

We are looking for someone who can confidently run a busy kitchen. Leading, directing, and motivating the chef team with passion and enthusiasm to deliver a wow customer experience.

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

Full job description

Front of House Assistant (Part-time) - Buckhatch

We are proud to hold a reputation for
delivering exceptionally high-quality fresh food and a customer service
experience that ensures our customers return again and again.

Our coffee shop usually seats up to 200 and is very busy, meaning our front of house team play a vital role in the success of our business.

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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