We’vefoughthard for25years toget awayfromeating s***ebutnowwe couldloseallthat
Top Scots chef fears for future of restaurants and says the financial impact of social distancing could be irreversible for independent businesses
BY ANNA BURNSIDE a.burnside@dailyrecord.co.uk
Scotland’s hospitality industry, encouraging chefs to use local produce and cook seasonal food, he fears that coronavirus will turn back the clock.
Nick said: “The big chains, the Burger Kings and McDonalds, will do well. They are having a bumper time at the moment. It’s independent restaurants that are on the edge of a precipice
“We have fought so hard in the last 25 years to get away from eating s***e and have great restaurants with great chefs. Scotland has a great larder, we eat stuff in season, we have restaurants with character and there’s every chance we will lose that.
“I’m painting a pretty bleak picture but I want people to know the dangers. It could happen really quickly and it might be irreversible.”
When he’s not been stressing about the business, Nick has enjoyed lockdown.
He and his third wife, Julia, have been at home in Bridge of Allan with their four children. He has double-dug a 30m flowerbed and is cooking his way through the Dishoom recipe book.
“In lockdown, food is the highlight of the day, I start thinking about what I’m going to cook pretty much the moment I get up in the morning. “I made pasta last night. I never do that.” The kitchen has become a contested area as a chef who’s used to a professional set up with staff to wash up after him adapts to making dinner for the family.
Nick said: “Mrs Nairn keeps wanting to cook and I don’t let her. She says I’m a messy b ***** d. I’m reminded on many occasions that Mrs Nairn is not my kitchen porter.
“It’s great as a chef to have the time to explore new recipes, new methods and new ways of doing things. It reminds me of when I started cooking.”
His new TV series, the second outing for The Great Food Guys, was filmed before lockdown. Nick and his wingman, Dougie Vipond, zip around the country in tartan waistcoats, meeting scallop divers and chilli growers. The pair then persuade the good folk of North Berwick or Hawick to try whatever they’ve cooked up, before preparing a meal for one celebrity and one foodie guest.
They make a great double act, like Two Fat Ladies with more testosterone.
The first series has been shown five times on the BBC Scotland digital channel. It’s currently running on BBC1 on Saturday mornings, after Saturday Kitchen, giving Nairn his first national hit for decades.
He said: “Back in the day, I was in the right place at the right time with the early Wild Harvest series.
“Only Gary Rhodes had done something similar.
“It was a new idea that a chef would get out and talk to people and show them what they did.
“In my early days, I was very Michelin star, very high end. Over the years, I’ve morphed and worked my way through an ego. I’ve got a far better understanding of what people want. I just want to cook the food people love.”
Nick is grateful for the profile the show will give his restaurant. He said: “Julia is the brains there. I’m just the product but I’m quite good at cooking stuff.” The Great Food Guys, BBC Scotland, Thursday July 9, 8.30pm
NICK NAIRN ON THE DINING OUT EXPERIENCE