Tourists visiting a Bingley park will be given a flavour of 150-year-old recipes following the restoration of a kitchen rarely seen since Edwardian times.

Heritage experts are close to restoring two rooms, including the kitchen, at the old coach house at the St Ives Estate in the final leg of a four-year, £250,000 scheme.

Once complete, historical chefs will give public demonstrations of cooking from the past, using unusual recipes such as candied flowers and sweet marzipan designed to look like bacon.

Pam Laking, chairman of the Friends of St Ives group, said: “We found these two rooms in the coach house which have probably not been touched since Edwardian times. There was a fantastic old range cooker from 1860 and we have had that restored by a specialist so it is in full working order.

“We are hoping that, when people step into the two rooms, they will get a flavour of St Ives as it was in the past.”

Students from Craven College’s heritage building skills department began the work at the same time as restoring the 350-year-old walls of an ancient herb and flower garden in the grounds of the St Ives Mansion.

The Garden of History, as it is known, will contain the same species of herbs, fruiting trees and flowers used by the monks of Rievaulx Abbey, who used the estate as a monastic grange in the 13th century.

The two rooms in the coach house are being completed by heritage builder Darren Shepherd, using original building techniques and are set to open within the next six weeks.

Mrs Laking said: “St Ives is such an old and historic site but, sadly, over the years much of that feeling of age has been lost. In the future, we are keen that any buildings on the St Ives Estate will be properly restored, respecting their age.”

The Friends have been working with landowners Bradford Council after securing funding from WREN, a not-for-profit organisation which administers grants for environmental and heritage projects.

The money has also paid for the restoration of ancient woodlands, heather parkland, and shoring up the banks of Coppice Pond to protect rare white native crayfish. A nature haven, conservation area and wildflower meadow have been created as well as a children’s adventure playground.

Bradford Councillor Andrew Thornton, portfolio holder for environment and sport, said: “Everyone has worked hard to improve the area and the community will continue to enjoy it for many years to come."