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Average Culinary Assistant Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A culinary assistant in United Kingdom earns about 18,600 GBP a year. That's 73% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 9,590 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 32,200 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a culinary assistant make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
18,600 GBP
1,550 GBP per month
Lowest reported
9,590 GBP
799 GBP per month
Highest reported
32,200 GBP
2,683 GBP per month

A typical culinary assistant working in United Kingdom brings home around 1,550 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 9,590 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 32,200 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior culinary assistant working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the culinary assistant salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How culinary assistant pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all culinary assistants in United Kingdom earn less than 20,000 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 12,400 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 28,900 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of culinary assistants sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 9,590 GBP. The highest stretch to 32,200 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

9,590
Low
20,000
Median
32,200
High
12,400
25th
28,900
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Culinary assistant pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a culinary assistant in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical culinary assistant salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    12,200 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +2% from previous
    12,400 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +56% from previous
    19,300 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    23,600 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    25,500 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +23% from previous
    31,300 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 56%. That is the point at which a culinary assistant typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Culinary assistant pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving culinary assistant pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average culinary assistant salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    13,900 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +69% from previous
    23,500 GBP

Culinary assistant gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male culinary assistants in United Kingdom earn an average of 21,200 GBP a year, while female culinary assistants earn around 19,400 GBP. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Culinary Assistant gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 21,200 GBP
Women 19,400 GBP

Pay raises for a culinary assistant in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 10% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Culinary assistant bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

35%

35% of culinary assistants in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a culinary assistant a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 65% of culinary assistants reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Culinary assistant: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Culinary assistant salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Culinary assistant pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Leeds
  • Birmingham
  • Somerset
  • Leicester
  • Bristol
  • Bradford
  • Manchester
  • Peterborough
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion41,700 GBP44,900 GBP17,900-65,200 GBP
ScotlandRegion27,200 GBP29,100 GBP13,600-45,700 GBP
LeedsCity25,400 GBP25,800 GBP13,200-39,800 GBP
BirminghamCity24,200 GBP27,300 GBP12,100-40,500 GBP
SomersetCity23,800 GBP22,400 GBP11,300-37,200 GBP
LeicesterCity23,700 GBP25,400 GBP12,200-34,900 GBP
BristolCity23,500 GBP26,500 GBP12,300-36,700 GBP
BradfordCity23,400 GBP22,400 GBP11,300-37,200 GBP
ManchesterCity23,300 GBP24,200 GBP10,800-36,200 GBP
PeterboroughCity23,200 GBP22,200 GBP9,400-35,300 GBP
AberdeenCity23,200 GBP22,000 GBP11,000-34,400 GBP
PortsmouthCity23,000 GBP21,500 GBP11,440-33,500 GBP
PooleCity23,000 GBP21,500 GBP9,460-33,500 GBP
PlymouthCity23,000 GBP21,500 GBP9,870-34,000 GBP
LondonCity22,800 GBP23,600 GBP9,500-37,300 GBP
BrightonCity22,600 GBP22,100 GBP11,430-32,200 GBP
CoventryCity22,200 GBP23,700 GBP9,900-36,800 GBP
NottinghamCity22,100 GBP25,300 GBP11,900-36,000 GBP
SheffieldCity22,100 GBP25,300 GBP11,900-36,000 GBP
BelfastCity22,100 GBP25,300 GBP11,900-35,500 GBP
GlasgowCity22,000 GBP27,400 GBP10,300-39,500 GBP
LiverpoolCity22,000 GBP27,400 GBP10,300-39,500 GBP
SwanseaCity21,400 GBP23,700 GBP10,160-34,000 GBP
CardiffCity21,300 GBP24,800 GBP12,400-35,600 GBP
DundeeCity21,200 GBP20,400 GBP10,820-32,900 GBP
ExeterCity21,100 GBP20,400 GBP8,800-34,100 GBP
NewcastleCity20,700 GBP23,100 GBP11,000-35,300 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity20,700 GBP22,000 GBP11,000-33,800 GBP
LisburnCity20,500 GBP21,100 GBP10,090-32,200 GBP
WolverhamptonCity20,400 GBP25,300 GBP11,000-34,700 GBP
SouthamptonCity20,400 GBP25,300 GBP11,300-34,700 GBP
KirkwallCity20,300 GBP20,000 GBP8,960-31,300 GBP
AbingdonCity20,300 GBP20,900 GBP8,370-30,700 GBP
StromnessCity20,200 GBP22,000 GBP9,090-29,200 GBP
DerbyCity20,100 GBP23,400 GBP8,100-33,600 GBP
EdinburghCity20,100 GBP23,400 GBP8,100-33,600 GBP
HartlepoolCity20,000 GBP22,300 GBP7,750-33,200 GBP
OxfordCity20,000 GBP22,300 GBP7,750-33,200 GBP
StrontianCity19,400 GBP20,900 GBP9,850-26,400 GBP
YorkCity19,300 GBP23,400 GBP8,260-32,300 GBP
ChesterCity19,200 GBP21,200 GBP10,330-28,900 GBP
WalesRegion19,200 GBP21,200 GBP10,330-28,900 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion19,100 GBP23,000 GBP7,800-32,900 GBP
NewryCity19,100 GBP23,000 GBP9,410-32,900 GBP
RiponCity19,100 GBP19,200 GBP9,470-29,600 GBP
LincolnCity19,100 GBP23,000 GBP9,410-32,900 GBP
WakefieldCity19,000 GBP20,500 GBP7,430-27,300 GBP
St DavidsCity19,000 GBP20,500 GBP7,430-27,300 GBP
DurhamCity19,000 GBP20,400 GBP6,810-27,300 GBP
TruroCity19,000 GBP20,500 GBP7,430-27,300 GBP
SalisburyCity18,900 GBP20,200 GBP9,340-31,400 GBP
CanterburyCity18,900 GBP22,600 GBP10,410-30,100 GBP
NorwichCity18,900 GBP22,600 GBP7,130-30,100 GBP
NewportCity18,200 GBP23,200 GBP8,940-31,800 GBP
ArmaghCity18,200 GBP23,200 GBP9,470-30,200 GBP
GloucesterCity17,800 GBP21,700 GBP10,620-30,000 GBP
DerryCity17,800 GBP20,200 GBP8,960-31,400 GBP
StirlingCity17,800 GBP20,200 GBP8,960-31,400 GBP
CambridgeCity17,800 GBP20,200 GBP8,960-31,400 GBP
InvernessCity17,100 GBP19,100 GBP10,150-27,700 GBP
WellsCity17,100 GBP20,400 GBP6,570-27,700 GBP
WinchesterCity17,100 GBP20,400 GBP7,090-27,400 GBP
BangorCity15,700 GBP20,300 GBP6,100-26,100 GBP

Culinary Assistant in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a culinary assistant make per month in United Kingdom?

    A culinary assistant in United Kingdom earns about 1,550 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 18,600 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a culinary assistant in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level culinary assistants in United Kingdom start near 9,590 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 32,200 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 12,400 and 28,900 GBP.

  • Is the median culinary assistant salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 20,000 GBP, higher than the average of 18,600 GBP. Half of culinary assistants in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for culinary assistants in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a culinary assistant in United Kingdom earn around 9% more than women on average (21,200 vs 19,400 GBP a year).

  • Do culinary assistants in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 35% of culinary assistants in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do culinary assistants earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a culinary assistant about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do culinary assistants in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A culinary assistant in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 10% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.