12 hours ago
The Lewisham park cafe which was once derelict and is now a community hub
A community cafe nestled in the heart of a Lewisham park started its life as a derelict building.
Pistachios in the Park is a quaint community cafe situated at the top of Hilly Fields - overlooking the London skyline but as down to earth as you can get.
As well as offering a great rest stop for families and dog-walkers who come to the park - with a host of vegetarian and vegan baguettes, toasties and cakes - the cafe also hosts charity events and displays community artwork.
Pistachios in the Park sits at the top of Hilly Fields (Image: Charlotte Anderson)
Set up in 2013, it all started when co-owner Fred Harding had a vision to transform a derelict building into a real community hub.
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Fred told the News Shopper: "We set up about 12 years ago and before that it was a derelict building, with showers for sports.
"It hadn't been used for 30 or 40 years.
"I did the building work myself because I was a builder, then took it on as a cafe."
They offer vegetarian and vegan options (Image: Charlotte Anderson)
Fred explained that Pistachios in the Park has a close-knit team at the helm, and that he even works alongside some family members.
"Everyone has worked here for a while, which is a lovely thing," he said.
"We have a turnover of staff but they tend to stay for a year or two, and that's very nice so you get to know people."
Regulars include everyone from families to runners and dog-walkers - and the views definitely help to bring new people to the cafe.
The cafe also runs screen free times each day (Image: Charlotte Anderson)
When asked why customers return to Pistachios, Fred said: "What we do we do very well... and we are in the middle of a park.
"It's all been good and the local people are very nice."
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He added that weekends are "super busy" at the moment, especially during the nice weather in the summer.
Events at this time of the year, such as the Brockley Max festival and the Brockley Society Midsummer Fayre, also help bring new customers and boost business.
But, its the cafe's community work which really helps it stand out - for instance its community dinner fundraisers, in collaboration with Plateful Cafe or art exhibitions displaying work from members of the refugee community.
