The kitchens at Peckover House will be a hive of frantic activity as cooks from another age take over for a living history event.

Visitors can travel back in time to 1870 and witness a scene from Victorian Wisbech where cooks are busy with preparations for a birthday party.

As the local dramatic group play their roles in the kitchen throughout the afternoon, visitors will be able to move around the room as usual, talking to the cooks if they wish.

The kitchen staff will be busy preparing for the ten year old Alexandrina’s birthday tea party, so there will be plenty to keep them busy and much for visitors to see.

“We won’t be working quietly,” said LEADA actress Linda Ekins, “As cooks working for the Peckover family, we’ll be indulging in a fair amount of gossip. Anything might be discussed as we prepare the food, from the family members and the work of the Quakers, to local events.

“We’ll be working from Mrs Beeton’s cook books, so will probably have plenty to say about that too.”

Marmalade Cake, a living history event organised by Linda Ekins, will take place on two consecutive Saturday afternoons in the kitchens of the National Trust’s Peckover House, on July 25 and August 1, from 1- 3pm.

There is no extra charge for visitors.