“It’s not what you’d expect to be doing at this stage in one’s life, but such is the hand you’re dealt” - Nick Nairn how a fire and flood haven’t slowed him down

One of Scotland’s most famous chefs talks to Rosalind Erskine about new business ventures and how he’s kept going after a terrible 2021.

2021 was a biblical year for chef Nick Nairn. First a burst pipe caused a flood in his namesake cook school in Port of Menteith, then his restaurant Nick’s in Bridge of Allan burnt down after a faulty piece of kitchen equipment caused a devastating fire. Not to mention the disruption to hospitality businesses from Covid restrictions and the impacts of Brexit.

At 64, and with all that going on, you might assume that Nick, who has been a chef in the spotlight since his days on Wild Harvest in 1996, would be happy to hang up the whites and retire. But he’s busier than ever. Nick’s is set to reopen as Nairn’s later this month- a nod to the teamwork of him and his wife Julia - and, as he exclusively revealed to The Scotsman, he’s due to open a butchery and fish shop in Bridge of Allan. As well as this, Julia’s homeware store Home by Julia Nairn, which has been a huge success, will be opening as a stand alone shop - also in Bridge of Allan. Plus, the cook school will be back in August, while also continuing to run as a popular restaurant.

Of the opening of Nairn’s, which has been delayed slightly to the end of July, Nick said he’s ‘hugely relieved’, as the rebuild and renovation has taken much longer than expected. He said: “We took the decision, after the fire, to keep on the senior guys in our team as we genuinely believed we’d be open after six months and it’s been two years. So it has been a long and expensive couple of years. We’ve benefitted hugely from the team around us.”

Nick Nairn (right), Background Richard Lochhead and Jim Fairue (Farmer and producer)

From a business perspective, Nick explained that what’s kept everyone going is just how popular the reimagined cook school has been, saying: “we repurposed the cook school as a restaurant and it has been hugely successful. In fact, it surpassed our most optimistic projections of what we could do here.” The cook school is also home to Julia’s homeware shop, which has also been a runaway success, hence the opening of a standalone site on Bridge of Allan high street.

Both the fire and flood gave the Nairn’s a chance to pause and reflect on what they wanted from both businesses. With the cook school, which opened in 2000, Nick explained that the refurbishment after the flood ‘grew arms and legs’. He said: “The cook school was ready for a refresh and is now a completely rebuilt space. It’s smaller but nicer than it was before. We’ve just installed our Miele ovens, which is a milestone for us.” While it could open in July, they’re pushing it back until August in order to oversee the opening of Nairn’s. It’s a busy summer, but Nick is staying optimistic, saying: “It’s not what you’d expect to be doing at this stage in one’s life, but such is the hand you’re dealt”.

Nairn’s has also been completely reimagined from what Nick’s was - both inside and what’s on the menu. The interior design has been worked on by Edinburgh-based designer Pat Renson and Julia, and has, Nick said, a contemporary Scandi feel (the log burners have stayed), with a new wallpaper design from Iona Crawford. Inside the restaurant is larger in terms of volume and light, with a big bar, velvet seating and a forest-green colour scheme. Outside on the terrace there’s fewer seats but they’re ‘nicer quality’. The whole thing is more luxurious than Nick’s was, and this will be reflected in the menu, as the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner (no more coffee cake and breakfast, said Nick), five days a week (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). There will be a range of small plates, bigger plates, sharing plates and snacks. “It’s a very much a modern style of restaurant,” explained Nick, who has pulled together “probably the strongest team of chefs I've had for a very long time.”

The new butchery and fish shop, named Cook, will mean that Nick will become a wholesaler for his and other businesses in the area (they also have a production butchery shop, the lease of which was taken over by Nick during Covid). This means that the meat and fish is fresh, and what’s not sold can be made into specials at the restaurants.

More than 30 firefighters tackled a “terrible fire” at a Nick Nairn restaurant in Bridge of Allan on Saturday night. (Photo: Sarah Cameron).

It is something he has often thought about doing, but it also negates any supply chain issues. “The butchers and fish shop is like the polytunnel (Nick has started growing his own veg, salad and herbs and has called the polytunnel his ‘sanctuary’), it's something I've wanted to do for years, and we started that (the polytunnel) last year, and that's been a huge success. It’s suddenly been quite a valuable contribution, because restaurants have had to rewrite how they work because the old rules of wage costs and overheads, and material cost no longer work - because wages are considerably higher, materials are considerably higher and of course, utilities are through the roof. So the traditional restaurant mould doesn't really work anymore. The one area that we can really control is our cross production. If you're growing your own vegetables, salads, or herbs, if you’re processing and buying your own meat and fish wholesale, that margin comes into our business, and it just gives us a lot more control.

That allows us in turn to pay our staff properly, which you could argue for many years, that restaurant actually didn't really do that. We were all very passionate and loved what we did. But the reality is that during the lockdown, all chefs got a taste of real life and to be home and see your kids and have weekends off. That's a good and a positive thing. However, there is a price for that,” Nick explained.

With the reopening of his businesses and the opening of new businesses, you’d think that’d be enough for Nick, but there’s a new recipe book in the pipeline (his first in almost 15 years) and a memoir, both of which have been put on the backburner for the moment. Nick and Julia plan to take a well earned break in the quieter months of early 2024. “There is so much going on at the moment, we both feel slightly overwhelmed at times. We just want to get back to normal and not be restricted by Covid, floods, fires or regulations. We want to get back to doing what we know best and what we love best. It's been a very long journey. It's been pretty bumpy at times. It's testament to Jules and my stamina, and our appetite for our business and the support from our team and customers who’ve made a regular pilgrimage to the cook school,” he said. For now though, Nick is hosting guest chef Paul Rankin, who will be at the cook school for Paul and Nick’s Big Weekend on 15 and 16 July, with some of Paul’s dishes on the menu and cooking demonstrations.

After a fire and flood (and with hopefully no pestilence), one thing is for sure, with Nick and the team in the kitchen of Nairn’s and the cook school, there won’t be any famine.

Nairn’s is set to open in late July. For more information on it, plus events and bookings at the Cook School, visit https://www.nairns.co.uk/