Nick Nairn’s Cook School: 25 years of reinvention

Nobody could begrudge Nick Nairn if he decided to step back and wind down given the success he has had in his hospitality career.

But moving away from showcasing his skills in a kitchen could not be further from the Scot’s mind.

While he is no longer spending his time behind the pass day-to-day in a restaurant, Nick’s cook school, which has seen various guises since opening in 2000, is now celebrating 25 years.

From Merchant Navy to Michelin-starred chef

Nick, who before becoming a chef worked as a navigating officer in the Merchant Navy, spent some of his early working life in Asia, an experience which opened his mind to a different way of cooking and eating.

“In Singapore in 1976 I tasted real satay for the first time. Coriander, peanuts, soy, lime, coconut, it blew my mind. I became obsessed with eating," said Nick.

“I went to Indonesia, India, Pakistan and we spent a lot of time in Japan. So I discovered Kobe steak, blowfish, sashimi sushi.

“My heart by now was in food and having tasted that satay, I knew that my future somehow would feature food.”

Returning to Scotland, Nick launched Braeval and won a Michelin star early.

“When I opened my restaurant, I wanted to cook Asian food, but it was 1983 and there was no demand for it and you couldn't get the ingredients either,” he explained.

“So I went down that modern European route.

“Back then Michelin was quite prescriptive. They didn’t like Asian cooking; they liked modern European, modern French.

“I wanted to do other things but was nervous about changing a successful formula in the restaurant.”

Opportunities in television quickly followed, Nick appearing on shows such as Ready Steady Cook on the BBC, which gave him a new platform.

He said: “You work your arse off in a restaurant, make enough to maybe pay a small mortgage and drive an average car. Telly affords you a completely different lifestyle.

“The model has changed, but back then there was really only BBC and ITV doing cooking series, and you got to plug your book at the end of your series.

“So you would sell significant numbers, tens of thousands, of books.”

How the Nick Nairn Cook School began

The Cook School’s DNA traces to Braeval, where Nick and sous chef Dan Hall ran hands-on masterclasses that lifted the lid on how a restaurant actually works.

“We’d bring in a dozen people, talk through how we build a dish, then cook lunch,” Nick explained.

“We went off-piste - Japanese, Asian, Indian. The feedback was fantastic. It was quite ahead of its time.

“People asked, ‘where do I buy that knife, that mandolin?’ We had quite a wealthy clientele and they all wanted to have the best cookware, so we opened a little shop and it did well.”

A dilapidated piggery on his grandfather’s estate by the Lake of Menteith provided the canvas for the next stage.

“We converted it into a very simple kind of cook school,” said Nick.

“I'll be honest, it was pretty slow at the start. Nobody really knew what a cook school was. I came up with the word cook school to try and differentiate from cookery schools, which I felt were sort of domestic, whereas I wanted it to be quite cheffy.”

Corporate cookery classes and team building: the first boom

The turning point came when banks, insurers and pension funds discovered team bonding days in the kitchen.

Nick said: “Apron on and everyone’s out of their depth - chief exec or guy on the front desk, you’re all in the same place. It was convivial: wine, teamwork and we sold a lot of kit.

“We thought, wow, there's definitely something in this.”

In 2004 the school expanded dramatically, with state-of-the-art equipment and waiting lists. Pre-social media, the cook school became a Christmas present staple.

“We spent fortunes on TV advertising, billboards and newspapers,” said Nick.

“Our best day? £100,000 of vouchers in 12 hours.”

Growth pains - Aberdeen expansion: lessons from the oil capital

The 2007–08 banking crisis turned off the corporate tap, but the school had little debt and survived. Opportunity next pointed north, as Nick linked up with chef John Webber.

“We had groups of people coming all the way down on a bus from Aberdeen to do corporate days,” Nick recalled.

“Aberdeen in 2011 was flying - oil at $110 a barrel. We spent some time finding a site and decided to open up there in 2012, but underestimated the Aberdonian mindset.

“Normally you have an opening party, you sit back and business comes in. Not in Aberdeen. You need to go out, press flesh, invite them in, do sessions and be open and proactive.

“Once they decided, actually, they're not a bunch of stuck-up Southerners, they embraced us and it just took off.”

Then oil collapsed.

“In 2015 it dropped to $28 overnight,” Nick explained.

“The economy collapsed and our business was switched off.

“I had half a million of my own cash in. The landlord wouldn’t move; we had no option but to fold.

“That was a really painful experience. Failure is horrible, because you pour yourself into a business like that.”

Reset after lockdown: pizza pop-up success and the BBQ school

Back at Lake of Menteith, Nick and his wife and business partner, Julia, set about reimagining the offer.

A covered BBQ area - finished, fatefully, just as lockdown hit - sat ready, but cook schools couldn’t trade.

“Lockdown was catastrophic for cook schools,” said Nick.

“Then our flat’s toilet leaked, the ceiling came down and that area was condemned. We mothballed the school.”

A return to restaurants followed, opening the Bridge of Allan with a business partner.

“That was a disaster,” Nick admitted.

“That had a fire and was shut for two years. The world moved on, and when we reopened, we'd kind of lost the room. Eventually that had to fold.”

Amid the turbulence in Aberdeen there was one happy accident, when their ground floor “quick-cook” bar became a pizza project, with chef Paul Hughes at the heart of it.

So Julia suggested to give it another go, this time at their Lake of Menteith site.

“I was against it,” said Nick.

“It took off. Under a stretch tent with heaters - 50 or 60 covers - it was rammed post-COVID. Suddenly we had a proper restaurant again, which took its toll on the cook school facilities.”

The decision came to rebuild the school, with Nick’s next chapter in mind.

“I love teaching. It's the thing I enjoy most,” he said.

“I've got to the age now where I just physically couldn't do a full 12, 13-hour service.

“We cut the size down from 24 to 12, made it flexible for dining or lectures, and Julia redesigned it.

“Banks hated hospitality in 2022, so we put in our own money. Whether by luck or good judgment, we've created something really special.”

Nick runs all the classes now, on the weekends, with the help of an apprentice.

Garden-to-table menus and the legendary Sunday roast

Today, the Lake of Menteith site is a compact ecosystem: Cook School, restaurant, lifestyle-leaning shop and a productive garden that dictates the menu.

“I built a polytunnel and raised beds,” said Nick.

“I’ve started growing stuff and I’ve become slightly obsessed with it!

“We’re self-sufficient in herbs and salads. I harvest daily and talk to Andy Turnbull, our exec chef, about what’s next. We change the menu every day.”

Saturdays bring an outdoor kitchen over live fire and a seafood focus, showcasing Scottish produce, such as langoustines, scallops and lobster.

Nick describes the Sunday roast offering as “legendary”.

The restaurant has also seen events organised with well-known guest chefs, such as Atul Kochhar, Tony Singh, Phil Vickery and Gary Usher.

Four-day week and staff retention

The reimagined Cook School also reflects a post-COVID stance on people: train properly, feed properly, and give a life outside work.

“Real apprentices are not cheap labour. It costs to train them, but it’s the lifeblood of the industry,” said Nick.

“We made a conscious decision to be really good employers - four-day week, extra holidays, proper staff meals.

“Our staff could get jobs anywhere, but they choose to stay.”

Julia added: “Our staff retention rate is phenomenal.”

Nick and Julia remain visible - on the floor and in the garden.

“People love seeing us in the business,” said Nick.

“Me with a barrow, Julia in the shop or office, chatting to customers. Customers are our livelihood.”

Why Nick still loves teaching - and what’s next

He could have stepped back. Instead, Nick's reshaped the job to suit him. 

“It comes from inside me, I can’t help it,” said Nick.

“I’m scared of retiring - my brain would atrophy. I accept I’m 66 and my back isn’t brilliant, so I’ve adapted to what I’m good at and enjoy.

“I'm really enjoying life.

“The cook school gives me enough cooking stuff to make me feel fulfilled.

“We're never going to make a fortune, but it's a joy to be in that kind of environment, with the restaurant alongside it.

“We’ve come full circle. We’re both proud.”