Chris is cooking up new future in teaching career

Chris Lord, food technology and catering tutor at Hayfield School in Auckley, is leaving after three years slaving over a hot stove to take up a new post at Waltheof School in Sheffield.

But Chris is not merely a top performer with the pots and pans – he has overcome tremendous personal difficulties to become a top teacher.

When he was 21 and in his final year studying food marketing and management at Sheffield Hallam University he learnt he might lose his sight due to a rare eye condition known as Laders optic neuropathy.

The condition is genetic and 99 per cent of people who fall prey to it are male, although genetically it is passed through the female bloodline. Only around one person in 150,000 suffers from the disease.

"Luckily my sight was saved to a degree," said Chris, now 27. "I can see up to about a foot in front of me but any further away and I'm more or less unable to see.

"It was completely unexpected – I had no real warning whatsoever. I found out it was going to happen about six months before finishing my university course and it was devastating news.

"However it could have been worse – at first the doctors thought it might be a brain tumour, so I suppose under the circumstances I was lucky."

Chris refused to let the condition beat him and says it helped to shape his future.

"Because of the problems with my sight I went into teaching and that's proved to be a great decision.

"I guess if it hadn't happened I might never have tried teaching out and, as I love the job, that would have been a real shame. Given that I can see close up I'm perfectly able to perform the job and working with youngsters has been a real pleasure.

"I've been at Hayfield for three years and I'm sorry to leave but it's time for a new challenge."

Chris has also written his own cookery book – Cooking for University – a guide for new students starting out on their own for the first time.

He takes up his new position at the Waltheof Park academy, where he will also be running an on-site restaurant, in September.Top tips on how to stay healthy at university

CHRIS hit the headlines when he put together the ultimate away-from-home survival guide for Hayfield's school-leavers.

His book contained tips, hints and recipes to get students through those first few months of settling into life in halls of residence.

So You're Off to University – Food for Thought was a guide to staying healthy at college with a sensible diet and included a number of recipes which were easy to make and economical on ingredients.

The staff at Hayfield were aware that most of their sixth-form students led a cossetted life at home with mum providing meals on demand.

And Chris knew the high-fat, carbohydrate-packed diet of university canteens and local pubs doesn't do much good for students' health or appearance.

His tips include how to shop cheaply by going for reduced products in supermarkets just before they close or chipping in with friends at weekends to cook slap-up meals.