Scottish chef and presenter Nick Nairn shares tips and recipe ideas for some of his most-used ingredients
MEET NICK
Having been a chef for more than 40 years, Nick Nairn has plenty of wisdom to share. ‘I feel incumbent to give something back,’ he laughs. In January, the Scottish chef officially reopened his cook school in Stirlingshire, after it was shut for three years – due to a combination of the pandemic and a flood in 2021. It was the same year a fire destroyed his restaurant in nearby Bridge of Allan. But with lots of rebuilding and both now open again, Nick is excited to get back to class. ‘I love teaching,’ he says. ‘Of all the things that I do, that’s where I’m happiest.’ Together with his wife, Julia, he has even remodelled the school to be a softer, more intimate space, where he’ll coach visitors in cooking cuisines including Scottish and Japanese, while showcasing local produce. ‘With smaller classes you get time to really talk to people. I enjoy that,’ he says. ‘And if I can get people wanting to cook, I feel I’ve done my bit.’
The Nick Nairn Cook School in Stirlingshire reopened in January. For more information, visit nairns.co.uk
LINDT CHOCOLATE
It’s slightly controversial, but I like to keep Lindt chocolate in the fridge. I prefer the texture it gives, and it takes longer to melt. Another advantage of keeping it there is that I can hide it and my kids can’t find it!
RED ONIONS
If you dice red onions and mix them with some ketchup, a little bit of lime juice, sriracha sauce, water and salt, and let this sit for five minutes, you get spiced onions, which make a great snack with poppadoms. They’re similar to the onions you get at the start of a meal in an Indian restaurant.
CLAMATO
This clam and tomato juice is popular in Canada. Rather than a bloody Mary, you use it to make a bloody Caesar cocktail – where it’s mixed with vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and lime juice. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it!
All you need to make a good soup is CELERY, carrots, onions and stock – and you can cheat and use a stock cube. From there you can add lentils, tomatoes or make a minestrone-type soup.
TELLICHERRY PEPPER has a fragrance and aromatic quality that normal black pepper doesn’t have. I use far too much of it on everything!
GRAVY GRANULES
Starch is really important in cooking – and that’s what gravy granu
