“I am much more confident with knife skills - including shucking scallops” - I tried a class at Nick Nairn’s cook school - here’s what to expect

Those keen to sharpen their cooking skills will soon be able to learn alongside Nick Nairn, as the chef is set to reopen his cook school in January. Rosalind Erskine went along for a class ahead of the opening.

After a tough couple of years for the hospitality industry in general, and chef Nick Nairn in particular - his Bridge of Allan restaurant Nick’s burnt down in 2021 then his Port of Menteith cook school was flooded - he’s finally on the up. Nick’s, rebranded as Nairn’s, reopened earlier this year and the Nick Nairn cook school, is set to reopen to the public in January 2024 after a complete refit. The Nick’s at Port of Menteith restaurant which, Nick said, had been ‘keeping people going’ will remain and his wife Julia’s shop, Home by Julia Nairn, is also a key component of the new look cook school.

Situated in the grounds of Nairn’s childhood home, the cook school (once a piggery) is just one part of the package of the tranquil lakeside location. Nick’s brother Topher runs the Loch End chalets, the first of which were opened in the 70s. Between the accommodation, restaurant and cook school, it’d be very easy to have a foodie focused, relaxed weekend in this beautiful spot which, Nick said, ‘there’s something quite special and unique about.’ I went along on a freezing, sunny day in late November to try out a class, chat to Nick and have a nosey around.

“The cook school is where my heart is,” said Nick, “I started doing this in the 90s at Braeval. Every Wednesday, once a week, we had 12 people in the kitchen, we demonstrated lunch then we went and had lunch. It was a tiny kitchen, the person next to the door had to open it from time to time to let the smoke out. It was very basic but I got a really good vibe from it. People had never really seen behind the scenes at a restaurant, there was always this barrier between the kitchen and the front of house.” Gone are the stainless steel, clinical benches and stark interiors of the cook school, replaced by olive green modern shaker style stations, a larder at the back, two wooden tables with plaid and floral patterned chairs where guests can enjoy the results of the day’s work. There’s a softer, homely atmosphere here - yes there’s still bright lighting, state of the art Meile induction hobs and ovens and more cooking appliances and accessories than you’d ever have at home, but it's less harsh. This was a pointed decision, as was the choice to scale down the number of people who can attend, from 24 to 12. Nick explained: “The cook school has been here since 2000, so it was getting a bit long in the tooth. After the flood, we made the decision to change the cook school. I designed it to be quite cheffy, so it was all stainless steel and industrial looking. Jules, who has an amazing design eye, said we need to make it softer and more approachable and it was at this time we decided to reduce the numbers from 24 to 12.” The space has also been designed to be fully flexible, meaning it can play host to Chef’s Table for up to 12 or be transformed into a private dining room for up to 50.

Nick Nairn's cook school was opened in 2000.

Nick’s grandfather bought the small estate (about 70 acres) in 1958 and moved into the house from the south side of Glasgow. The cook school building was built to be a piggery but, as Nick said, “my grandfather decided he didn’t like pigs much,” so it lay empty. The return of the cook school marks the first time Nick and his siblings have worked together for years (he and his brother once sold smoked salmon, including to Sunningdale golf club where Sean Connory was apparently a fan).

What to expect from Nick Nairn’s cook school

The majority of the hands-on masterclasses will be taken by Nick and visitors will learn how to prep, cook, and present two courses from scratch. The techniques that are taught can then be applied to a range of other dishes giving amateur cooks even more skills to take away. From Scottish and French, to Asian, Spanish, and Japanese, Nick will explore the cuisines of the globe as well as showcasing and picking homegrown ingredients from the garden grounds.

When I visited, Nick demonstrated some easy to make canapes - mini tartlets with celery and parmesan for veggies and the addition of ndjua for meat eaters, and parma ham and rocket - which we thoroughly enjoyed along with a glass of Gusbourne rose sparkling wine. Then it was on to the main event - seafood tacos. If you’re imagining frozen fish, think again. We had fresh langoustines (which I have never cooked before), monkfish and hand dived scallops to cook. As well as making Mexican white sauce, guacamole and pico de gallo, we also made tacos from scratch with masa corn flour. Nick showed us each step then came around each bench (it’s two people to each) to help out where required. The classes are a lot more hands-on than before - you’re chopping and navigating around the kitchen to collect items in the recipes, rather than rocking up to pre-chopped ingredients with everything you need in front of you. It’s an ideal way to learn and, after ordering scallops from the Ethical Shellfish Company in lockdown then having no real clue how to shuck then (despite watching Nick do so during TV filming), I have, thanks to the class, learned how to (and I can now, finally, chop onions properly). After cooking the tacos and filling, and plating up, we sat down to enjoy a thoroughly delicious lunch and some more Gusbourne wine.

The cook school has been redesigned to be more homely.

A day with Nick Nairn is £195pp and a day with the resident chef is 149pp, which includes two hands-on cooking courses - a starter and a main – and a dessert chosen from Nick’s restaurant menu plus wine. A half day with the resident chef costs £89pp and includes one hands-on cooking course, a main course, with a dessert chosen from the restaurant plus wine included.