Everything I do starts with food. Great food, that’s what I’m passionate about, whether it’s in a cafe or a five-star restaurant. For me great food starts with great ingredients. And if those ingredients are part of Scotland’s abundant natural larder, then I’m happy.
I make it my mission – and it’s a pretty easy one to fulfil – to use as much Scottish produce as I can. We’ve got so much going for us, from langoustines to lobsters, fresh berries to Highland beef, not to mention some of the best butchers, scallop divers, farmers, small dairies and other deliverers of fine food on the planet.
Because I’m passionate about the way we all eat, from childhood right through to feeding the elderly, I’m certain that cooking with more natural local produce, banning nasties such as trans fats, cutting back on hidden salt and educating all food outlets to cook properly from scratch, we can get back to a healthier diet. I try to promote this through my Cook School, cookbooks, television, newspapers, by lobbying Government, public appearances and by endorsing quality foods, ensuring that we can all eat and cook food well.
TV
Nick’s first television show, Wild Harvest, aired in 1996 to great acclaim, and following its success Nick went on to star in Wild Harvest 2 and Island Harvest.
Nick went on to work on other TV shows including Nick Nairn and the Dinner Ladies, Who’ll Do The Pudding, Back to Basics and the Great British Menu where he cooked the main course for the Queen’s 80th birthday.
However, the two shows for which Nick is most well know for is Paul & Nick’s Big Food Trip and Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook. In Paul & Nick’s Big Food Trip, he teamed up with his friend, celebrity chef Paul Rankin, sailing around Scotland and Ireland and making meals for the locals.
Awards
Nick has won numerous awards over the last 30 years, including a Michelin Star for his Brava restaurant, a Tourist Board Thistle Award for Tourism And The Media in 1998, Personality of the Year in 2002 and an Honorary Doctorate from Stirling University for his work in promoting healthy eating and Scottish cuisine in 2007.
Writing
One of the things we have enjoyed the most in Nick’s career is his recipes, and even to this very day, he continues to contribute recipes in the Press & Journal which inspire us to be more creative in the kitchen. Nick started out as a regular contributor to BBC Good Food Magazine in 1997, and published recipes and columns in the Sunday Mail, Sunday Herald, Scots Magazine, Spectrum Magazine and Daily Record, over the last 20+ years.