Book of the week

Published:

Nick Nairn Cook School

AT THE turn of this century, Nick Nairn opened his purpose-built Cook School in the grounds of his family estate at Port of Menteith, near Stirling.

Since then, he has shared his knowledge and experience with more than 20,000 students.

But his dream has always been to give as many people as possible the chance to learn these skills. The best way to do this, in his opinion, was to produce a cookbook that didn’t just have nice glossy pictures of dishes, but one which took you through the whole cooking process from preparation to tidying up afterwards.

A self-taught cook, he learned by trial and error. This book does away with the element of error.

Whether you are a regular toast burner or want to expand basic skills, the comprehensive nature of the book means there’s something for you.

It covers all aspects of kitchen life, from easy-to-understand explanations of types of equipment you will need to learning why preparation is vital. There are chapters devoted to ingredients such as dairy produce, fish and meat, which takes away the fear factor about what to look for when buying fresh.

The recipes take you up the culinary ladder slowly, starting with simple things such as how to poach an egg or make a basic stock, and on to full-blown roasts and desserts designed to draw gasps of admiration.

This is not so much a recipe book as a cookery bible, one which I think I’ll find myself referring to religiously.

Susan Welsh

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