Highgate Wood cafe handed to Golders Hill ‘good neighbour’

It’s part of a controversial plan by Hampstead Heath and Highgate Wood managers the City of London Corporation to retender the leases of five north London cafes.

Patrick Matthews and his wife Emma Fernandez were told in December they had lost all three of their cafes at Parliament Hill Lido, Queen’s Park, and Highgate Wood – and are now pursuing legal action.

The Pavilion Cafe in Highgate Wood will now be run by Cosmin Stuparu, who failed in his bid to hang onto his own cafe in Golders Hill Park. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

But in what Patrick calls “a bizarre case of musical chairs” the owner of Golders Hill Park Cafe, whose bid to continue running his own cafe failed – has now been awarded the lease of their cafe in Highgate Wood.

After running Golders Hill Park Cafe for 15 years, Cosmin Stuparu will now hand it to Aussie cafe chain Daisy Green on February 2 – then move lock stock and barrel into Highgate Wood Cafe.

Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez, pictured with their two daughters, have run Highgate Wood Cafe since 2018 but have been told to leave by February 2. (Image: PA)

“People love what we do at Highgate and our staff and customers will be stunned and shocked at this news,” Patrick told the Ham&High.

“When we took it over in 2018 we recognised that each cafe has it’s own character and spirit.

“To me, Highgate looked like the dwarfs’ cottage in Snow White and that’s how we painted it, with medieval lettering in the style of the title sequence from the Disney film.

“Recently we’ve had 15% year on year growth in turnover, which is off the scale in hospitality.

“Now the City of London have chosen to hand the fruits of our achievement to our good neighbour Cosmin in a bizarre and absurd game of musical chairs.

“As the City know, our legal team are challenging the entire process and will look at this curious decision.”

In a statement CoL said Mr Stuparu would bring continuity, local knowledge, and fresh investment to the cafe – including upgrading the building as part of the lease agreement and a more welcoming outdoor seating space.

Chair of the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee, Alderman Gregory Jones KC, said: “Cosmin has been part of Golders Hill Park for 15 years – we’re pleased that his experience, local connection and plans to upgrade the facilities as well as his commitment to paying café workers the London Living Wage will benefit visitors to Highgate Wood.”

Rock star Sir Rod Stewart dropped into Highgate Cafe during filming for a documentary about his childhood. He’s pictured here with cafe manager Jacek Warmbier. (Image: Jacek Warmbier)

CoL’s plan for the cafes sparked a major campaign to keep them independent, including a 20,000 strong petition and support from MP Tulip Siddiq and Lido-user Benedict Cumberbatch.

During the campaign in November Sir Rod paid a nostalgic visit to the Highgate cafe recalling how he went there as a boy after football training on the open space.

Mr Stuparu said he is looking forward to bringing his experience to Highgate Wood.

“As a family-run business, our focus is on freshly prepared food, a welcoming atmosphere and paying our staff fairly, while creating a café that feels part of the Wood and the local community.

“We’re excited to invest in the café and outdoor space so it can be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.”

The cafes in Parliament Hill Fields, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido and Queen’s Park are set to be run by Daisy Green.