FOR FIVE long years, Scott Hamilton, of Scotstoun, was pressing the self-destruct button, ruining both his life and his health due to his drinking.

"I would wake up and start drinking and drink till I crashed out," he admits. "Sometimes I couldn't remember how much I'd had."

The young man in chef's whites standing at the sink clearing up after making a meat stew with doughballs is clear-skinned and bright-eyed and positive and he might be talking about someone else. Celebrity chef was late starter who raced ahead

CELEBRITY chef Nick Nairn didn't start cooking until he was 25 - which should give hope to Scott Hamilton.

A former Merchant Navy seaman, Nick is best known for his TV series, Wild Harvest, Wild Harvest 2 and Island Harvest and his appearances on Ready, Steady Cook.

He was also one of four finalists on the series Great British Menu and cooked the main course for the Queen's 80th birthday banquet.

In 1991, he was Scotland's youngest chef ever to be awarded a Michelin star for his then restaurant, Braeval.

Nick is a passionate ambassador of fresh Scottish produce and healthy eating, particularly for children.

He now runs the hugely successful Nick Nairn Cook School at Lake of Menteith but also travels the world for events.

Nick is also the author of nine cookery books, which have sold 500,000 copies.

In just five weeks, The Prince's Trust Scotland's Get into Cooking programme, backed by celebrity chef Nick Nairn, has worked a small miracle on Scott.

"I feel better as soon as I wake up," he says cheerfully. "People see the change in me. My mum and my gran are chuffed too."

Scott has had just one job, as a car valeter, since leaving school.

He stuck it for nearly three years but in the end boredom got the better of him.

"I was on the sick for a while through drink," he says.

After he lost his job he thought no one was ever going to take him on again, and he sank deeper into depression.

Eventually, Scott took a tumble to himself.

"It was tough but I had had enough of the situation."

But he found himself at 25 having wasted the years he should have been working for qualifications and building up job experience.

Scott had always liked cooking and dreamed of being a chef . . . but without training, he had as much chance of that as becoming a brain surgeon.

The most he could hope for was a job as a kitchen porter.

"But I couldn't even get a job washing dishes," he says. "You see your life going down the tubes."

We are speaking in a huge working kitchen at Glasgow Metropolitan College on Cathedral Street .

Scott is just one of 13 young people on the fast-track Get into Cooking Course (one dropped out).

In partnership with the Nick Nairn Cook School and Glasgow Metropolitan College, the Prince's Trust offers some of Scotland's forgotten young people the chance to achieve a high level of culinary skill.

They might have struggled at school, been in care, have been long-term unemployed or in trouble with the law.

But this is a second chance and the ones here are about to complete their six-week course by spending a week at the Nick Nairn Cook School at Lake of Menteith.

Past graduates from the course, now in its third year, are already working with some of the most prestigious restaurants in Glasgow.

In the past three years, not including this course, 44 young people have graduated and over 70% have have gone onto permanent jobs or further education.

Already, after a week's intensive work experience in top restaurants in the city centre, several of this year's students have been offered jobs.

Eager and cheerful, Joy Lappin is reputedly a joy to teach.

Joy, 17, who was born in Ohio, and who now lives in Summerston with her mum, left school with seven standard grades and found a job in a cafe.

But when it closed she was paid off and out of work.

It was hard because I have to help my mum with the rent, but I'm actually quite glad I didn't get a job because I was put forward for this course and I'm really enjoying it."

Her work experience was spent at The Bothy. "It was exciting, but also scary because that was the first time I've seen how busy it can be with all the chefs running around."

Steven Nolan, 21, was brought up in Castlemilk, and now lives in Govanhill.

He has worked at MacDonald's but has had long spells out of work.

"I was always applying for jobs and never getting a reply," he said. "So it will be fantastic to say on my CV that I've been taught by Nick Nairn."

In his tall chef's hat, John Mair, of Kinning Park, rules the kitchen.

Originally from Balornock, he understands only too well what these young people are up against.

"When they first come in, they are quite apprehensive and a bit nervous.A lot have never been in a working kitchen before.

"We've got six weeks to train them for work. It's very rewarding."

At 33, John has worked in catering all over the world.

"Some of them really have a talent and could go a long way with a bit of hard work," he says.

"The industry is screaming out for chefs, so any we can train will be grabbed," says Willie McCurrach, head of the college's food division.

This course, he agrees, is a recipe for success and who knows, one of the students could well be the next Nick Nairn.