TWO Blackburn College hospitality lecturers are celebrating a combined 70 years of service.

Iain Steele is marking 40 years at the college, along with his colleague Ian Sutherland, who has reached the 30-year milestone. Mr Steele, 62, started at Blackburn College as an assistant lecturer in 1974, and has stayed in the same job until now.

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He said he had lots of fond memories looking back over his career.

He used to teach cake decoration classes and took students all over the country catering at events such as Royal Ascot, and the Grand National, Cheltenham and many other race meetings.

Mr Steele has also catered at lots of golf events around the country, including the British Open Championships, as well as Formula One at Silverstone.

He said: “We had ten weeks holiday, so in the summer I would take students to work on army camps throughout the country.

“I have taken students on international chef competitions and work experience to France, Spain and Denmark, where we won a competition against 12 other countries. We also took a team to Hungary, and two years ago we went to Cape Town, South Africa.”

The funniest memory Mr Steele has was asking a student to boil a bag of frozen peas. When he returned a few minutes later, he discovered the unopened bag boiling in the pan!

He said: “Well, he did follow my instructions which taught me that instructions need to be very specific.”

Mr Steele has seen many developments over the years, and said the curriculum had changed drastically.

He said: “Teaching methods have drastically improved as a result of technology which has been fantastic for the students.”

The highlight of his career was a staff development trip on sugar pulling and a blowing course in Zurich, Switzerland in 1989.

He said: “I will remember that amazing experience forever. It was the best staff development course in 40 years and we were taught by the best expert on the planet.”

He enjoyed it so much he has developed commercial sugar courses at Blackburn College, with the next one starting in February.

Mr Sutherland, one of the college’s patisserie tutors, has made two Royal wedding cakes during his career.

He was part of the team which created a cake when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and for Prince Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. He also made a box of Belgian chocolates for the Queen during her visit to Blackburn in 2006.