The decision to hand over four independently run cafes on Hampstead Heath, including one regularly visited by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, to an Australian-inspired restaurant group has sparked “outrage” within the community, campaigners say.
Daisy Green has been selected to run cafes in Queen's Park, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido and Parliament Hill Fields from spring 2026 by the City of London Corporation (CLC), which owns the land.
Cafes in Parliament Hill Lido and Queen's Park are run by Kentish Town couple Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez, as well as one in Highgate Wood, which could also change hands.
The Italian cafe in Parliament Hill Fields has been run by the D'Auria family for 45 years.
All current operators were informed on Friday that they would have to close their cafes at the end of January.
The CLC said Daisy Green will bring “enhanced menus, improved facilities and welcoming spaces” and will commit to affordability, sustainability and partnering with local suppliers.
Fernandez and Matthews have run Parliament Hill Lido Café, whose clients include Cumberbatch and actor James McAvoy, for 10 years.
Fernandez, 49, said she is “devastated” by the news, adding: “We created a real community hub. The City of London Corporation is simply destroying this fabric that holds the community together.”
She and her husband have used the cafe as a space to host community events, including a children's puppet show, and to showcase the work of local artists, who display and sell there for free.
The couple is also concerned that the acquisition puts jobs at risk. Its three cafes employ about 50 people during the summer and 30 during the winter.
Fernandez said: “Honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do. It's the only thing I love to do, what I know how to do and I feel very rooted here.”
Their children, Selene, 11, and Esmee, nine, are familiar faces in the cafe and enjoy helping out during the school holidays.
“It's horrible for them,” Mrs. Fernández said. “They were born here, they grew up here. It's like a family here, they know the customers, they know the staff (lido).
“When I ask them what they want to do in the future, they always say, 'I want to work on the lido with you.' Now everything is destroyed.”
He added: “We are not here trying to make money. We are here because we love it and we work from the heart.”
Matthews, 72, added: “I thought it was inconceivable that we didn't have the Lido Café. It's natural justice: we took it from nothing and made something that wasn't there beforehand.”
“We feel like we've created something and now someone else is going to enjoy whatever financial benefit can be derived from it. We take the risk, they have the reward.”
Lido regular Kate Orr, 56, from Camden, said: “There are a lot of people who come here who are really struggling with their mental health or they feel lonely, or they don't quite fit in the world, or they don't have a lot of money.
“This is the most tolerant and inclusive place… This is by far the strongest sense of community I have had in my 56 years.
“Coffee is really part of that community.”
“You need a cafe that is affordable,” said Imogen West, 56, from Hampstead Heath, “you can get a really good meal for £10.50, where else can you get it?
“This area is a real mix of people who have money and people who don't. This place serves all those people. It's more than a job (for Mr. Williams and Ms. Fernandez): it's a way of life.”
Journalist Stefan Simanowitz, 49, said he is outraged by the decision and will continue to fight against it.
He led a campaign to “save our cafes”, which included a petition signed by more than 20,000 people and was supported by Cumberbatch, McAvoy and fellow actor Stephen Campbell Moore.
In August, Cumberbatch told the Camden New Journal: “This is about people and not profits. It is vital that we stand up for people who run businesses that serve the community, to preserve the livelihoods of people who have been building relationships with their customers.”
In 2016, a similar tender process was attempted at Parliament Hill Cafe, but coffee chain Benugo abandoned the takeover following protests backed by Sir Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, who is now First Minister.
Simanowitz said he hopes Daisy Green can make a similar decision.
Prue Freeman, co-founder of Daisy Green, said the company is “delighted” to have been chosen.
Freeman said: “As an independent London-based company, we are proud of our long-standing support of local suppliers and charities, providing family-friendly activities and running environmentally responsible operations.
“We want these cafes to continue to be welcoming spaces where everyone feels included and connected to these very special spaces.”
