Clissold Park cafe re-opens

clissold house cafe

Inside the new Clissold House cafe. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

The café in Clissold Park re-opened today (Tuesday 3 January) following a two-year, £8.9m refurbishment of the historic building and surrounding park.

Curious to see the new space, I braved the rain and blustery wind, walked with some sadness past the new rose-less garden and ascended the slope to the historic Georgian building.

The weather had done little to deter custom on the opening day, and the café was teaming with children, plus the odd adult.

Named the House, and run by Hampstead-based Company of Cooks, the venue is a cut above the previous establishment to have operated out of the 18th century mansion. Manager Andy Gordon says: “We called it the House rather than Clissold House Café because we wanted people to feel at home.”

All pastel colours, wood floors and table service, the elegant space is distinctly genteel, with prices to match.

The traditional menu includes breakfast from £1.90 for toast and jam to £3.75 for a bacon bap. Lunches can be had from £3.95 for soup and bread to £6.95 for a savoury tart with mixed leaves.

For afternoon tea, there are pastries from £1.75 and tea itself from £1.65 (for Fairtrade English breakfast). A scone with cream and jam is £2.45 and Victoria sponge cake £2.95.

There is also a limited selection of alcoholic beverages on offer, including Meantime London Pale Ale (£3.75 for 330ml) and wine from £2.95 a glass.

When Hackney Council awarded Company of Cooks the contract to run the café last August (2011), the council claimed that their decision had been shaped by the fact that: “It was important that the chosen organisation used quality produce including Fair Trade, organic and free range produce”.

They went on to claim that Company of Cooks had undertaken to “use local suppliers of high quality produce to add to their seasonal menu.”

Local group Growing Communities raises award-winning organic vegetables in Clissold Park itself, so I was hopeful.

I asked Mr Gordon about the range of food and drink on offer and how it was sourced. He pointed to the Fairtrade English breakfast tea which I had already spied on the menu, whereas the coffee served is a variety of Union Hand Roasted which does not bear the Fairtrade mark. Mr Gordon told me that some organic products were used, though he was somewhat vague when asked to name them.

He did go on to list with pride a range of British suppliers: in addition to Meantime London Ale, the café serves English apple juice, cheese from Sussex, salad leaves from Surrey and homemade bread. It doesn’t seem that any of the organic vegetables grown not 300 feet away have made it onto the menu, however.

In terms of style and décor, the café is definitely an improvement on its predecessor, but the relatively steep prices may make it somewhat exclusive, which could be seen as a problem as it is the only such catering outlet in this public park. Less ambiguous is the fact that the Clissold Park café still has some work to do to provide more Fairtrade, organic and locally-produced fare, which all Hackney residents are right to expect.

Related:

Small businesses slam Hackney Council over Clissold Park café contract

43 Comments

  1. Andrew Boff on Wednesday 4 January 2012 at 09:28

    The company is not locally sourced so why would we expect the products to be?
    Small businesses slam Hackney Council over Clissold Park café contract



  2. Jed Keenan on Wednesday 4 January 2012 at 12:34

    ‘The relatively steep prices may make it somewhat exclusive’ but providing ‘more Fairtrade, organic and locally-produced fare, which all Hackney residents are right to expect’ is the best of all worlds. Is the pricing at Wholesum not to mention Growing Communities or the many retailers reviewed right here not exclusive?
    The old cafe’s menu was detestable and the order numbers being shouted incessantly was a decision by real hater of service users.
    But did you find out if the coffee was any good? This has to be the No.1 test of any Cafe, and by the way Union Hand Roasted does not rely of on certification but uses the ‘Direct Contact Trade Model’ and is London based, http://www.unionroasted.com/about/our-ethos.html



  3. Tabitha on Wednesday 4 January 2012 at 20:30

    This comment has been removed by a moderator following a complaint.



  4. Tony Harms on Wednesday 4 January 2012 at 22:06

    I have yet to go to the new cafe but here’s a comment emailed to me by a local friend (I asked her to write it out as a review):

    “It was very exciting to go to the new cafe in the beautifully refurbished Clissold House. The staff were welcoming, the place looked beautiful and we awaited our menus and food with high expectations. We were very disappointed.

    It was the usual ‘posh’ pre-prepared food – and a narrow choice at that: sandwiches, a soup, hot drinks, and all coming from a central kitchen, so that there was no fliexibility or sense that anything was created by any of the nice friendly staff who served us – because of course it wasn’t. So: unlike the old cafe, or the temporary van: no freshly made orange juice, no sandwiches made to demand so that kids could have their cheese or ham without the posh pickle, no old-fashioned fried eggs and beans and nothing like a salad or even a toasted pannini.

    No soul, no pleasure.”

    I liked the old cafe – even if you did have to queue.



  5. Judy Frances on Thursday 5 January 2012 at 14:10

    I was there for lunch today – the coffee was fabulous and the staff were welcoming and went out of their way to look after us. I look forward to becoming a regular and hosting my sons birthday there in the summer!



  6. Bassu on Thursday 5 January 2012 at 14:36

    I’m going to make a visit one of these days. I hope the cafe is equiped for wheelchair users.



  7. The Great Smell Of Brute on Thursday 5 January 2012 at 15:16

    I take it that venison isn’t on the menu… 😉



  8. Mary on Saturday 7 January 2012 at 17:04

    Just been to the new cafe – love the design and the staff were great, very child friendly. Food choice was good and I certainly had no complaints from my five year old. Will be back – a good addition to the community



  9. Ed & Yvette on Saturday 7 January 2012 at 21:01

    Meeja Guardianista Nu Labour community you mean



  10. Nom De Guerre on Saturday 7 January 2012 at 21:24

    Mary – since many locals can no longer afford to eat there, what “community” do you actually mean?



  11. Laurence on Monday 9 January 2012 at 09:14

    Trying to find their menu online. Can i still buy cod and chips or is it all arty farty food for middle class yummy mummies?
    Also, have they put in disabled access to the upper floor so we can hopefully sit away from the hordes of screaming little ones?



  12. Harry on Monday 9 January 2012 at 22:31

    Company of cooks has been handed the kiosk around the other side of the park, surely that could have been tendered to a local business on a separate basis?

    As well- Albion road is a true dividing line, degeneration around shakespere walk and no expense spared around clissold park where the new labour apprachics live.



  13. Nom De Guerre on Tuesday 10 January 2012 at 08:33

    £9m is a huge amount to spend on one park especially since there are other parks in Hackney that needed the money more. I’m sure the council would argue that Clissold is the busiest and therefore warranted the money, but that poses a chicken and egg dilema – wouldn’t, say, Hackney Downs be far more popular if it had a modest cafe, or even just a refreshments kiosk?
    One can’t help but feel that the money was allocated to Clissold for political reasons rather than that of need, and that builds resentment among others in the borough.



  14. The Great Smell Of Brute on Wednesday 11 January 2012 at 12:26

    @Nom De Guerre: incredibly, I find myself in agreement with you, for once! 😀



  15. Norman on Thursday 12 January 2012 at 18:53

    NDG you’ve got it spot on about the council and Clissold park. It’s all about keeping the meeja lefty lovies (with lots of dosh and influence) happy. Of course locals include lots of Labour councillors Labour MP couple Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper and lefty news reporter George Alagiah. Shakspeare Walk might as well be in another country. I once saw a local councillors surgery in the estate hall their and she had a personal security guard standing outside like Andy McNab. Keep a close eye on Stoke Newington Municipal Offices. They will up next for disposal by the council after being termed “not fit for purpose”. Yuppie flats or a hotel maybe. Bet the council are cursing for dragging their feet and not flogging it off in time for the Olympics. Of course they will do it after the horse has bolted



  16. gritterhackney on Thursday 12 January 2012 at 20:17

    Will better the park be filled with yuppies and hipsters than shank carrying ghetto scum.



  17. thruppence on Thursday 12 January 2012 at 21:42

    clissold being the one with a big house and the lottery offering millions is another explanation



  18. Resident on Saturday 14 January 2012 at 09:59

    So, Clissold Park Mansion has officially been turned over for the use of the nouveau riche of Stoke Newington. It is a sad day for those of us who lived in the area all our lives but now those who moved in among us and who wish to turn the area into some kind of poor man’s Hampstead, have won the day. Gone are the days when the Cafe in the mansion would provide basic and hearty food and at decent prices. Unfortunately, the Clissold Park Users Group is also mainly made up of these wannabe ‘Hampsteadonians’, so we are therefore unable to rely on support from that quarter. Please make your feelings known on our page and hopefully Hackney council will listen to our feelings.
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-House-in-Clissold-Park/355884354428727



  19. Nom De Guerre on Saturday 14 January 2012 at 12:07

    thruppence – so is £9m being spent on Springfield Park and its big house?



  20. Caroline Millar on Saturday 14 January 2012 at 20:48

    I Chair the User Group. I am not a “wannabe Hamsteadonian” – whatever that may be. I am a Glaswegian who has lived in Stoke Newington for twelve years with no desire whatsoever to live in Hampstead. Why would I? I am Chair at the moment but for four years I fundraised for and ran annual programmes of free summer events in the park which were attended by children, teenagers and local people from all sorts of different backgrounds so I do have some idea what people want from the park. I have talked to hundreds of them.

    The user group is not a closed group in any sense. “Resident” is as much a member as I am. We are just a group of people who care about the park and meet six times a year to try to make sure that the voice of local people is heard by the Council. Sometimes our meetings are full of dog walkers, sometimes animal rights activists, sometimes people who want to complain about particular things. And some of the people who turn up come back to the next meeting, get to know what is going on and what the big issues are (not just for them but for other people) and express their own views to each other and to the Council staff who attend. If you look at our website you can see all the issues we have campaigned on. Without these people there would be no paddling pool (many years ago Hackney wanted to close it) no animals (there was a plan to remove them once upon a time) and many things park users probably take for granted would not be there. It was local people through the user group who saved the house in the first place by raising the money to have the roof fixed many, many years ago and they did it for the benefit of everyone in Stoke Newington.

    Anybody who wants can come to user meetings and share their views (and listen to other people’s – which perhaps disappointingly for some are not always the same as theirs). Anyone can stand for election for the key posts or volunteer to help generally or with specific issues they are interested in. Look at our website for the dates and times of our next meeting. Or if you don’t like meetings or can’t come along you can comment on our Facebook page or send us an email. If you sign up for our mailing list we will send you our regular newsletters and seek you views on key issues. I and the other people who help pass on users views to the Council can only reflect what people tell us about what they think and want.

    Anyone who came to our meeting today will tell you that we spent half the meeting discussing the need to make sure that there are items on the menu which are affordable to all. In fact we have been saying this loudly and forcefully throughout this process. We have not got what we want yet but we will be pushing very hard to make sure this happens. We also discussed improved access (and yes, a lift and disabled toilets have been put in) and the need to provide for people on lower incomes and for teenagers. We may not succeed in getting what we want – we have absolutely no powers other than the power of persuasion and the more people we talk to, the more persuasive we can be. The whole purpose of the project has been and continues to be to open the house up to everyone. The rooms in the house are available for hire by community groups at rates which are directly comparable with other rooms in much less attractive places (£15 to £25 an hour) and they are already being booked up by a wide range of different people for a wide range of different purposes. So get out there and set up a community event if you want to get more people into the house.

    The park user group has campaigned tirelessly for decades to get this project off the ground and I don’t see why opening up and restoring a once derelict house to the public is something to complain about. It is offensive to the many, many local people who have been involved in this project for over twenty years to make judgements about them when you have no idea who they are, how they are motivated or what they have done for their fellow residents.

    By the way, it would be really helpful to know who all the anonymous contributors to this website are. Why can’t you tell us your names rather than you hiding behind your anonymity whilst insulting people? That way we could have a proper open and honest discussion about the issues that matter.



  21. Nom De Guerre on Saturday 14 January 2012 at 21:34

    Caroline Millar – all of your above comment does not negate the fact that Clissold House is more exclusive than it was. I for one am not blaming you for doing what you are supposed to do as Chair of the User Group, ie, getting as much for the park as possible. What I am saying however is that all the paddling pools, animal enclosures, aviary and multi-millon pound makeovers come at the expense of somewhere else. There are many parks that could have been utterly transformed for a fraction of what has been spent in Clissold. That’s not you’re fault, but that of the council who should ensure that money is allocated in a way that most of Hackney’s parks are of a similar standard, rather than one super-park and to hell with the rest.



  22. Caroline Millar on Sunday 15 January 2012 at 00:34

    Nom De Guerre (do you have a real name?) – the house has been open for twelve days so I think it’s a bit early to judge whether the house in Clissold park is “more exclusive” than it was. The temporary cafe we have had for the last two years was so rubbish (and overpriced) that almost no-one use it. We still have plenty of time to address the things which might (might?) be putting people off using the cafe. And please don’t confuse the House with the cafe – in the past they were one and the same but they aren’t now. Like I said we need to make sure people don’t feel excluded whether because of the environment or the pricing. As for the other parks, I’d agree with you there. Hackney parks are real money spinners (especially now they are being used for big events which raise substantial sums of money) so we need to make sure that the profit is redistributed across the other parks which may not be in a position to raise these big sums. I think Clissold has had more than its share and I suppose that is why I’d like people who use Clissold to realise how lucky they are!



  23. Nom De Guerre on Sunday 15 January 2012 at 07:56

    “we need to make sure that the profit is redistributed across the other parks which may not be in a position to raise these big sums. I think Clissold has had more than its share..”
    We’re in agreement there Caroline.



  24. Caroline Millar on Sunday 15 January 2012 at 19:28

    Worth bearing in mind though that the Heritage Lottery Fund would not have given any money at all unless Hackney matched it. So Hackney as a whole has benefitted from £4.5m it would [not] have had otherwise.



  25. Caroline Millar on Sunday 15 January 2012 at 19:30

    Sorry I meant to say £4.5m it would NOT have had otherwise. And the point about the house is a valid one. The reason the park received the money from HLF was because of the historic significance of the house and park – it is important not just to Stoke Newington but much more widely.



  26. Sandy Wellings on Tuesday 17 January 2012 at 13:04

    The whole tone of this conversation is really depressing. The park has been hijacked and taken away from its community. There used to be cheerful and diverse crowds sitting on the steps and lawn in front of the house. it was a really enjoyable informal place to be even whether or not you had children and whether or not you could afford to live in central Stoke Newington (these days you probably need a job in the City to move to the area). There was a good variety of food that didn’t all depend on cakes and sandwiches. It wasn’t expensive. Even the temporary cafe sold a decent range of food in an unpretentious setting. Now the cafe has been taken away from us. children are crowded into a little space in the basement with no view. How patronising and depressing. Even the roses have been taken away from what was the rose garden. Everything that was charming and integrated about the area has been destroyed in favour of pure snobbery. Even the people who work in the cafe seem cold (what’s there employment policy? I don’t see much reflection of Hackney’s diverse population) and it’s like a set from some kind of period drama. Who wants that? There are hardly any tables. Go to the upstairs cafe and you have to be ‘shown’ to your seat. Pure snobbery. The soul of the area has been stolen and that’s worth more than any amount of money.

    We can’t undo what’s done altogether but how about a cheap cheerful cafe which welcomes children upstairs with ethnically diverse food, mother and toddler groups, community meetings (rent free), notice boards and leaflets for everyone to use. How about reversing the destruction of Stoke Newington, the polarisation of rich and poor? The riots took place only up the the road from here, remember?



  27. SN RIP on Tuesday 17 January 2012 at 20:59

    Well done Sandy. Watch out the council CCTV police and Clissold Park Elitist Group that will put you down in their little black book. Remember you are dealing with people who protested against an evil Nandos on ‘their’ main road for God’s sake. Depressing that the whole of the borough not just SN is becoming the preserve of the rich.



  28. N.Kozin on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 18:28

    I wholeheartedly agree with Sandy.

    I find the new cafe offensive – this is a public park, not a stately home, and is used by a large variety of people with children.

    The choice of drinks and snacks is abysmal.
    at the main entrance you are “welcomed” by shelves and shelves of wine – and that’s for a cafe that is open during daytime only. Upstairs is a waiter service.
    there is a tiny place downstairs with equally tiny menu.
    and where did they recruit the staff from? they don’t seem to be local.

    It is not a place to get a quick bottle of water or juice or a snack for a child thirsty from running around in the playground, it is a place to have lunch by appointment. Shame.



  29. Resident on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 23:25

    @ Sandy, SN Rip & N.Kozin……Agree, agree & agree.
    https://www.facebook.com/thehouseinclissoldpark



  30. Angelique on Thursday 19 January 2012 at 16:32

    What is wrong with you grumbling lot? £2.95 for a glass of wine is more reasonable than you would get in a Student Union for goodness sake! It would be great to see people channeling such energy in a postive way



  31. Terry Blavatnik on Thursday 19 January 2012 at 16:44

    Am I right in thinking that people are upset that the area is getting much needed investment and improvement? It is nice to have a beautfully renovated house with a cafe that does feel homely AND special. I really am not put off by the fact that you are seated by the staff there, I think it is a nice touch. But maybe I am one of these nouveau riche, ‘meeja’ types who ought to be shunned by my own community. So much for diversity



  32. Resident on Friday 20 January 2012 at 12:17

    I guess if I earned the sort of money a partner in a consultancy company earns, as well as being a consultant for this and a non-executive director for that, i also wouldn’t think twice about spending seven pounds on a bowl of soup and some (fresh) bread…but i don’t. I have to watch every penny, as do many other people who used to be able to use the cafe in the park. Seven pounds for a full meal and a large mug of tea is one thing but seven pounds on a starter would be out of the question…..let alone three pounds just for a glass of wine.
    I think some people are living in their own little twilight zone and are totally unaware of how some of the indigenous residents have to struggle just to keep their head above water.



  33. Sandy Wellings on Friday 20 January 2012 at 13:57

    I agree with Resident’s point about most people’s incomes. As for Terry’s point about media types being part of the community, I’m a media type myself. I’ve only lived in Stoke Newington for a few years though i’ve lived in Hackney for much longer. Perhaps population is a better word than community. The park is public and for the whole population of the surrounding area. Perhaps from Manor House down to Newington Green, across from there to Dalston (no parks there to speak of) and up to Stamford Hill. There are plenty of restaurants in Stoke Newington mostly aimed at those with high disposable incomes who can afford to spend £7 on a bowl of soup (I can’t either). There are more such restaurants and cafes in the City and in Islington. If people want to spend their spare cash in them they are free to do so. Even Kenwood House cafe in Hampstead, run by the same company as the new Clissold Park cafe, has a cafeteria style setup with more variety of food and feels more accessible. And Kenwood House is a stately home, not a public, council run park. The park is public space. It is simply undemocratic to restrict access to a public facility in this way. It gives a very bad impression of this area and this country, reflects badly on the local council and I intend to publicise these issues and the history of what’s happened here to the hilt in the coming Olympic period.



  34. Resident on Friday 20 January 2012 at 14:20

    @ Sandy. I have just copied your wonderful letter here to our Facebook page. Thank you.
    https://www.facebook.com/thehouseinclissoldpark



  35. Cafe Action Group on Friday 20 January 2012 at 17:25

    This is now the official page of the Clissold Park Cafe Action Group.
    Our email address is cafeaction@yahoo.co.uk
    Please click ‘Like’ on our page and join us to help return the Cafe in Clissold Park, to all the people of Stoke Newington.
    THE TAKEOVER STOPS HERE.



  36. stokeyale on Saturday 21 January 2012 at 12:50

    Its almost like they want a Chicken Cottage to open up in Clissold Park.



  37. Nom De Guerre on Saturday 21 January 2012 at 18:15

    stokeyale – that comment says a lot about you.



  38. The Great Smell Of Brute on Sunday 22 January 2012 at 15:23

    @Terry Blavatnik: congratulations for standing ‘social exclusion’ on its head with your comments! 😛



  39. Nom De Guerre on Sunday 22 January 2012 at 18:08

    @GSOB: incredibly, I find myself in agreement with you, for once!



  40. N.Kozin on Friday 27 January 2012 at 09:33

    I cannot think of any other public park with an exclusive cafe like the one in Clissold Park.
    Let’s leave Kenwood aside – it doesn’t even have a playground.



  41. Emma on Saturday 28 January 2012 at 23:03

    Here’s the Daily Telegraph’s take on the new cafe … http://tgr.ph/waWQgj
    (The second article in the piece – not the one about the ‘househusband’!)



  42. Cafe Action Group on Sunday 29 January 2012 at 09:49

    Article from the Telegraph this week…
    http://tgr.ph/waWQgj



  43. Cafe Action Group on Monday 30 January 2012 at 08:44

    Proud to announce that we now have the full backing of the Hackney Green Party.
    Please also make your views known on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thehouseinclissoldpark



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