Saving slice of garden history

Published on isbi School News dated Tuesday 19th of July 2011

A tasty bid to draw attention to the plight of the ageing orangery at Peckover House has been staged by food students at Wisbech Grammar School.

Pupils have been cooking up ideas with an orange theme in a culinary contest to help draw attention to the need to raise funds for the ancient structure which sits at a focal point in the garden of the town's riverside National Trust property.

The cash is being raised to carry out repairs to the rotting woodwork of the decorative glass house, which is a major feature of the garden and contains three orange trees that could be as much as 300 years old.

In the senior school the winner was Vladimir Nikolic (13), who rustled up a mouth-watering orange and almond cake, and at Magdalene House the first place went to Cassia Lemon (10), with her tempting orange curd muffins and the winning dishes will help to spice up the menu at the tea room in the grounds of the house.

Head of food and nutrition Mrs Alison Sloan said: 'Oranges have been used from the trees at Peckover House for the last 300 years. It is rare to have oranges in this country that you can pick off the trees and use in a dish.'