Lordy’s Guide to all thing’s food, family and travel.

Hi my name is Chris Lord, known affectionately as Lordy. I’m a visually impaired food teacher, with a love of travel and interesting experiences.

I have had a passion for all things food, since my Mum taught me to cook as young child. I took every opportunity to study food at school and get part time jobs in bakeries, kitchens, restaurants, bars and large outside catering events. My passion for Food and Business led me to Sheffield Hallam University to study Food Marketing Management. After a placement year in New Covent Graden fruit and vegetable market, where i was a supplier for the top restaurants in London, I had my heart set on a career, travelling the world working as buyer for a supermarket. However midway through my final year I had a sudden deterioration in my eyesight. After 5months of hospital visits and testing, i was diagnosed with a severe visual impairment, known as Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy and I was registered blind.

So what next? Well after few dark days, I decided that the only way forward was with a positive mental attitude. The University was amazing; I was given a special prize to recognise my achievement of completing my course with only half a percent off a first. I was then offered a free place on the new PGCE to become a food teacher, where i was given all the support i could have ever wished for, from the disability support services, plus as this was a part of Secondary Shortage Subject Scheme at the time, i was given a grant to complete the course and the added benefit of my student loan being paid off over the next ten years that i would be in teaching.

As soon as I got into the classroom, i knew i had found my calling and i can now say that losing my eyesight, gave me focus. I was even lucky enough to train at Tapton School, which was the blind and partially sighted school for Sheffield. This was so inspiring working alongside children, many of whom were coping with much more challenging disabilities than my own.

I have always had the itch to explore the world and after finishing my teacher training i decided to go inter railing in Eastern Europe, with a couple of friends, which was an amazing experience, to have before starting my teaching career properly. However, it did knock my confidence as i felt my visual impairment, stopped me from fully contributing, as I would have liked.

I then spent the next 9 years teaching food to 11-18year olds in two different schools in South Yorkshire, which i loved, but being a teacher is often challenging and politics certainly doesn’t help. During this time, I managed a couple of trips abroad, for stag do’s and a wedding, but it certainly isn’t what i would class as traveling. So when I saw a job advertised for Head of Food in Hong Kong, I jumped at the chance and saw it as the opportunity to explore a different part of the world. My confidence had grown mainly through developing coping techniques in the classroom and technology progressed so much that it was now so much easier to manage with my disability. I am so happy to be living in age of smart phones and tablets! And of course, I was now with Stacey my partner of 6 years and we decided to tie the know before we left for Hong Kong.

So in a whirlwind coupe of weeks, we got married, packed up our worldly possessions, was best man for my oldest friend and the flew off the next day. We landed in Hong Kong to the sweltering heat and aggressive humidity, with jet lag, which we were experiencing for the first time and started the next chapter of our lives. The first months were tough, we moved into a 250sq/ft studio and tried to accilimatise to the weather and the culture and believe me you will either love it or hate it! We were lucky to make some amazing friends and the job was everything i could have ever dreamed of; Freedom to innovate food education, supportive leadership, students that wanted to learn and little to no behaviour managemnt issues. What more could a teacher want?

Hong Kong is certainly one of the foodie capitals of the world and is a melting pot of different cultures and cuisines, so i was in my element, with so many different dining experiences to enjoy. Not only this but as a travel hub it gave me the opportunity to have the adventures I had been longing for, with numerous trips to Thailand, Vietnam, China Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan and extended time travelling in Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Italy.

In 2018, i deiced to go to Bangkok for experimental stem cell treatment, to see if any improvements could be made to my eyesight. The experience was very cathartic, and my wellbeing was improved vastly after taking 6months off alcohol and undergoing the holistic treatment, but unfortunately no I have had no improvement, but I also have not noticed any deterioration since, so maybe it has slowed or halted the path to complete blindness.

After my first child, Evie was born in 2019, she managed to go to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and back to England twice and then COVid hit, and we were trapped in Hong Kong for over two years. During this time in lockdown, we started cooking together, which led to Evie Bakes. our guide to cooking with toddlers. There are now 70 recipe videos aiming to inspire and help parents cook with their kids. As our following grew on Instagram, I decided that I would teach myself how to use Canva and create a recipe book was made give away to our biggest fans. Just as lock down was coming to an end our second daughter, Iris, was born and we were ready to travel again as soon as her passport arrived. First stop UK, to see family after a long time apart, then Dubai and Thailand. The travel bug had definitely returned!

There is a lot more information about my time teaching in UK and Hong Kong in my Bio page, but I feel blessed to have inspired dozens of students to follow careers in world of food and hospitality and hundred’s more to become healthy, confident cooks. But nothing lasts forever and unfortunately due to a variety of reasons, I was made redundant and have decided to take some time out of teaching to decide what is the best next step in my career.

And so the adventure begins, as we start our travels and enrol Evie and Iris in the school of life.