THE SKYLARK CAFE, WANDSWORTH COMMON

The Skylark Café opened in 2014, when local residents Charlie and Fran Oppenheim stepped in as the new owners, renovating the space, creating new menus and sourcing new local suppliers.

“We loved visiting our local common, spending time with family, friends, or just with our two little children.

“We realised how important cafés could be to the local community, not just for providing a great place to stop for refreshment or a bite to eat, but as a place to gather… or just a natural place to have a breather and take a break from city life,” said the couple.

Since opening the Skylark, the pair have opened a further six cafés including the Rookery (right) under the Roots & Berries umbrella.

“We think a properly run café is essential to the success of a neighbourhood green space.

“We’ve built Roots & Berries on three simple ideas – great food and drinks, warm and efficient service and always remembering we are there first and foremost, for the local community,” added Fran.

The Skylark Café was fully refurbished in 2019, with a modern, spacious indoor eating area and an outdoor terrace – dogs are welcome in both. The emphasis is on serving fresh, seasonal dishes, from brunch baps to sophisticated salads and wholesome home-made soups. Children’s favourites, including pasta pots and cod goujons, feature too. Cakes and bakes are freshly made at the café’s new bakery on West Hill.

The café’s coffee comes from Chiswick-based independent roastery Curious Roo, its tea from Wandsworth’s family run Bellevue tea and juices are supplied by Pip! Organic Juices, whose headquarters is just across the river in Putney.

The café is surrounded by duck ponds, sports pitches, tennis courts, playgrounds, a bowling green and a nature centre — all within 170 acres of open green space.

Around the Skylark Café, there are many activities and clubs run by locals, including fitness classes, tennis, and children’s sports, including rugby. Local teams Bolingbroke Football Club, Battersea Ironsides and Spencer Cricket Club also play on the pitches around the café.

Over the past eight years, the café has become an important landmark for the community as well as supporting local groups and charities, including the Wandsworth Foodbank, The Friends of Wandsworth Common and the Wandsworth Common Enhancement Fund.

The Skylark Café, Wandsworth Common, Dorlcote Road, SW18 3RT. Open (Nov-March) daily 9am–5pm (Kitchen closes 3pm/3.30pm at weekends. For April–Oct opening times visit www.skylarkcafe.co.uk.

The Rookery Café can be found next to the entrance to Rookery Gardens, at the end of a majestic avenue of London Plane trees running the length of Streatham Common. The café was renovated in 2016 and is now a light, modern pavilion with indoor and outdoor seating serving similar fare to its sister café, The Skylark (left).

The Rookery Gardens are a real hidden gem of South London, situated on the former site of Streatham Spa and The Rookery mansion, which was built in 1786 in three acres of gardens to cater to visitors who came to enjoy the mineral waters. Today, only the gardens survive and these are Grade II listed, with ornamental planting, a Victorian Cascade, orchard, meadow and community garden. The café has a small growing space here, and fresh ingredients are added to the menu whenever possible. There’s plenty going on in and around The Rookery Cafe for the local community, from organised events such as the monthly farmers’ market and annual Christmas fair organised by social enterprise the Streatham Common Co-Operative, to kite-flying days and sporting activities, including tennis, football and cricket and fitness boot camps run close to the café. There’s also a large paddling pool nearby, which is popular in summer.

The Rookery Cafe, Streatham Common South, London, SW16 3BZ. Open daily 9am–5pm. Kitchen closes at 3pm for hot food orders.