SCOTTISH TV chef Nick Nairn is passionate about Scottish produce and healthy eating.

Entirely self-taught, he opened his first restaurant in 1986 and awarded a Michelin star in 1990. He shared his kitchen tips with News Shopper.

Do you have a top tip for people cooking at home?

Everybody can cook, there’s no question or doubt about that. A lot of people think they can’t and it is a confidence thing.  Give it a go and if it doesn’t go quite right then don’t give up.
The more often you practice, the easier it gets. And you do get to the stage where it is as quick to make something yourself than it is to go and get a ready meal. You don’t need fancy ingredients and you don’t need lots of ingredients – just a little imagination.

Do you have any advice for people coming home after a long day, for something they can make quickly?

Try new stuff. Don’t get stuck in a rut where you use the same repertoire of dishes.

Every month try a new dish. Don’t overlook things like salad, you can make fabulous salads  - you can have grated beetroot, grated apple, grated salad, a bit of dressing, put some seeds and nuts through there, maybe some dry fruit, chilli and spice, citrus.

Do you have a kitchen tool or gadget you can’t live without?

It is a postcard made out of metal with a little handle. You scrape things up and lift them off your board and clean your board down. It is the single most useful gadget.

Nick is one of the chefs on the Ready, Steady, Cook Live tour which comes to The Churchill Theatre Bromley on Sunday, October 27. Go to atgtickets.com/Bromley.

 

FOLLOW NICK’S ADVICE FOR GREAT COUS COUS

“It goes into a bowl and it needs just that little bit of water on top and a bit of cling film. Leave it for four minutes and fork it up.

“A lot of people look at cous-cous and think ‘aaaaaah, it looks really difficult’ but it is incredibly simple. It could not be easier.

“If you leave it for more than four minutes it all clumps up and will never go light and fluffy.”