Nature fix

Travelling the world as a private chef, Nicola Orr has cooked for everyone from surf gods to Hollywood royalty. Now back in Peebles, she has created a range of ‘wellness’ experiences that combine her love of nutritious food with immersion in nature.

Nicola enjoying the Tweed

ALTHOUGH a bright spring day in May, it is unseasonably cold. For most people, it would not be a day for swimming in the River Tweed. But Nicola Orr is not most people. Kitted out in a swimsuit, a pair of thermal booties and bobble hat her only nod to the frigid conditions, Nicola wades into the river and, with barely a pause, slips beneath the water.

No big deal. After all, she has been doing this day in and day out together with the Peebles ‘dookers’ – a similarly committed group of local women – throughout the winter. All have found that even the briefest of dooks can energise body and mind in equal measure.

But let’s rewind a little. Why are we standing here with Nicola as she enjoys her morning swim? And what’s that yoga mat doing over there? Both hint at the next stage in the life of someone who, in a way, has come full circle.

Originally from Peebles, NicoIa has spent much of her adult life somewhere else – and usually around food. Having cooked a little as a child, Nicola’s journey in food began in earnest once she left university with a degree in microbiology.

Wild food all around, including redcurrants

Her first job was as a chalet chef in a ski resort, followed by time as a stewardess working on private yachts – a period when she first considered becoming professionally trained. Nicola had her eye on attending a cookery school in London, although was put off by the cost.

But then came a big break that helped sow the seeds for much of what was to come. “I got paid off when the owner sold a boat I was working on and I used that to put myself through cookery school,” she explains.

After that, Nicola was back to the yachts, but this time as a chef – and the start of a series of memorable experiences. One in particular stands out: having worked as a private chef on a yacht crossing the Pacific to Tahiti, Nicola stayed on the island to catch a leg of the world surfing championships. While out one night with her crew, she met the manager of the Quicksilver pro surf team – a chance meeting that ended with Nicola cooking dinner for the team.

“We became friends and at the end of competition I said that if they ever wanted a chef, I would fly out and meet them at the contests,” she explains.

And that’s exactly what happened, with Nicola going on to cook for the team at surf hotspots around the world. She even ended up working for Kelly Slater – regarded as one of the best surfers of all time – at his home in California.

“My claim to fame is that I once cooked dinner for Cameron Diaz!” says Nicola. “She is a friend of Kelly’s and one night she just turned up at the door. I got a bit flustered.”

“I’m always looking at ways to incorporate ‘wild’ food into a regular diet, and often use nettles, burdock and lots of other native plants. It’s so much better than having to buy expensive superfood powders.”

It was at this point that Nicola began to change as a chef, turning more to a wholefood, plant-based approach to cooking – in part due to her own dietary requirements. “I also studied nutritional content in detail and realised how food really can be medicine,” she adds.

Today, Nicola describes herself as “a wholefood, plant-based chef” who always looks to add as much nourishment and nutritional density to her cooking as possible. “I encourage people to eat the rainbow and benefit from all the chemicals that are so incredible for our health,” she explains.

It’s an approach that includes plenty of foraged food. “I’m always looking at ways to incorporate ‘wild’ food into a regular diet, and often use nettles, burdock and other native plants. It’s so much better than having to buy expensive superfood powders.”

And it is this story of the wild food all around that is at the heart of what Nicola is doing now – which brings us back to that chilly dip in the Tweed and the yoga mat. Mixing aspects of her passion for food, and her other training as a yoga teacher, Nicola has created a range of experiences, from nature meditation, yoga movement and outdoor swim sessions to themed walks based around local plant lore.

Taking a moment by the river

Currently women-only, the experiences are about pressing pause on busy lives – a chance to cleanse and clear the mind. “The swimming is optional,” she says. “Just sitting in nature by the river can be incredibly calming.”

Of course, the rewards of connecting with nature have become more apparent than ever during these strange times. “Part of the appeal for me is that the benefits can be enjoyed without the need for expensive gear or complicated techniques,” says Nicola. “That said, a pair of booties for swimming is always good!”

Can’t beat a swim …

Further info

Nicola offers a range of guided (and bespoke) experiences, including regular morning swims, cooking, plant lore and folklore walks, plus a monthly mindful meditation/yoga session at St Mary’s Loch in the neighbouring Yarrow Valley. Find out more about these and other guided experiences on our Led by Locals page.

Images: Ian Linton Photography