PIC 1: La Crêperie de Hampstead outside the King William IV has been a high street attraction for 33 years.
PIC 2: Left: Pub landlady Elaine Loughran. Right: Crêpe stall owner Edward de Mesquita.

Published: 8 August, 2013
by PAVAN AMARA

HAMPSTEAD’S bitter ‘crêpe war’ is set to reach a truce after a stallholder decided to move his fridge from a pub garden.

The dispute over where the famous La Crêperie de Hampstead stores its food has had neighbours in Hampstead High Street at loggerheads.

The fridge has sat in the garden of the King William IV pub for four years but landlady Elaine Loughran wanted it moved so she could refurbish. She also asked the crêpe stand to contribute to water bills.

After weeks of legal toing-and-froing and angry words, La Crêperie manager Edward de Mesquita says he will now move the fridge.

He added: “I need a new permanent location though. It doesn’t have to be big, only about 100 square feet. It can be the size of a cupboard but it needs to be in walking distance of the crêperie so staff can change in there and fetch food when they need to.”

Queues snake across the street at the crêpe stand, part of the street for 33 years. Police were called on more than one occasion as arguments between pub regulars and crêpe stand customers became heated.

Ms Loughran’s legal team had called for bailiffs to remove the fridge from the pub’s land by Monday.

Mr de Mesquita said: “We want to be completely autonomous from the pub and are looking into getting our own water tanks so we don’t have to rely on their water supply.

“We have this space, and we need a tiny office to sort out staff wages and for changing clothes, and a space for a fridge. That location will always be our little corner. I will fight for it, for all the people who love my crêpes.”

He added: “I deserve it – I pay £40,000 annual rent. There was all this fighting over a fridge and some bills, so it’s more grown up to just remove the fridge and split the bills if that’s what she wants.”

Ms Loughran said: “The way he talks about it makes it sound like a divorce battle or something. I don’t know why he waited until the eleventh hour to do this. He knew what he had to do months ago and has now done it hours before the eviction notice comes into effect.

“But I think we can all have some peace now. All I wanted was the fridge removed and contribution to the bills, so it’s all fine now. Hopefully, now we’ll be able to walk past each other without fighting and tension, for the first time in years.

“It’s been a struggle for me and Edward, and I hope it’s the end of all this. But I wouldn’t go there for a crêpe, only for the reason that I don’t like crêpes much anyway. It’s a shame he feels the need to hide in some mystery location. If he thinks I’ll sabotage anything it shows he has the wrong impression of me.”