[1] Nairn was born in Stirling in January 1959 and grew up in the village of Port of Menteith in Stirlingshire.

[1][3] In 2003, he sold his restaurant in Glasgow to concentrate on the cookery school, although he also undertakes a range of corporate work.

[3][10] In 2008 he defeated Tom Lewis in the Scottish heat of the BBC television series Great British Menu.

He went on to cook a main course of roe venison for Queen Elizabeth II and 250 guests at the Mansion House for her official 80th birthday celebration.

Nairn was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Stirling in 2007 for his contributions to Scottish cooking and healthy eating campaigns.