Scottish Food: The lesson that reminds me why I chose writing

It was around the moment that Nick Nairn instructed the room full of journalists to pierce our fingers through a live scallop’s skirt that I began to regret having my nails done just two days before.

In his own words, this was a ‘hardcore lesson’ designed to offer a memorable hack for preparing the freshly caught seafood for our Mexican inspired tacos, should we recreate the dish at home.   

We won’t talk about the langoustines that came next, other than to note that the sound of a chef’s knife crunching through thin orange shell will no doubt stay with the group for weeks to come.   

The remainder of the afternoon at Nairn’s fully refurbished Stirlingshire cookery school was thankfully easier going for a bunch who are far more comfortable writing about food than cooking it.

We had gathered for a first look preview as the cook school embarks on a ‘soft relaunch’ period after more than three years of closure, tentatively accepting bookings for small groups who are looking to bolster their culinary credentials over the coming months. 

During the morning, Nairn spoke of his goal to create a space that caters to a rising interest in Food Tourism as well as sharing anecdotes from a childhood spent causing havoc around the nearby shores of Lake of Menteith.

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While doing so, he demonstrated how to prepare each element of tacos, which alongside a step-by-step recipe placed on each Home Economics class style bench, should have been enough to leave no room for error from his new students.

Somehow there were still cases of misplaced coriander, unseasoned masa dough and the rookie mistake to end all rookie mistakes, the touching of an eye just moments after handling a fiery chilli.   

They do say Rome wasn’t built in a day.   

Crisis was averted on each occasion as our host stepped in to help without judgement, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encouraged each of us to persevere until we had produced something that vaguely resembled his earlier dish.  

It’s the vibe they’re going for, we learned, as Nairn told us of a drive to help visitors add a few meals to their at-home repertoire rather than attempting to master fine dining techniques in just a few hours.   

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Sacrificial seafood aside, a day spent at the resurrected cook school proved to be an enormously educational, informative and above all enjoyable experience that I look forward to sharing with you in full on The Herald website soon.

With Christmas just weeks away, it’s a gift that I’d recommend considering for any foodie in your life.   

But do make sure they postpone any manicure appointments in the run up, just in case.  

For more information on the Nick Nairn Cook School, visit www.nairns.co.uk