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Your blogger has just spent the last few days grazing around Aberdeenshire’s culinary highlights as part of a VisitScotland press trip.

One of the many tasty highlights was taking part in the very first class at the Nick Nairn Cook School in Aberdeen on the day it opened.

Formerly a church hall, the two storey, listed, city centre venture has two distinct areas.

Downstairs is the cook shop and Quick Cook Bar which looks like a rather sexy cross between a sushi bar and a cocktail joint. The idea here is that guests can swing by at lunchtime or after work and learn a  new kitchen skill, cook and eat a dish, all in two hours.

According to Nick, ‘It will be perfect for people who work during the day. You can pop in after work or do it over a long lunch-break.’

Upstairs is  a state of the art teaching kitchen with cooking stations for up to 24 people. Designed for full day classes, the teaching kitchen is headed up by local chef Kenny Smart who previously worked at the 1906 restaurant in His Majesty’s Theatre.

John Webber, who heads up the Lake of Menteith Cook School, and Nick will also be taking the occasional class alongside guest chefs.

With a high ceiling, massive stained glass windows and spiffy induction hobs, it’s quite a fantoosh set-up. We knocked up pan-fried fillet steak with a whisky, mushroom and cream sauce in double quick time.

The new Cook School on Back Wynd opens to the public tomorrow. You can start investigating Aberdeenshire’s many gastro hotspots from here.

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