our-newcastle, food, harry & lola’s, harry and lola’s, speers point park, mima, lake macquarie, cafe, multi arts pavilion
There are plenty of reasons to visit picturesque Speers Point Park on the north shore of Lake Macquarie – a huge playground, regular markets, the public swimming pool, the multi-arts pavilion. You can now add Harry & Lola is on the list. The cafe is the second venture for business partners Luke Marshall and Rob and Sigrid Faraday-Bensley, who already own and run The Kiosk in Newcastle Beach. “Rob grew up on the lake and knows the area well,” Marshall, who grew up in Morpeth, told Food & Wine. “We are always looking for opportunities to increase the reach of our business and ensure that we continue to provide great and exciting opportunities for our people.” Marshall says the “waves aren’t as good” as those in front of The Kiosk but Harry & Lola’s lakeside location is “still amazing”. IN THE NEWS: “Harry and Lola’s is named after Rob’s grandfather, Harry Oughton, who grew up and worked his whole life at Speers Point as a builder and was a well-known member of the Speers Point RSL, and the great -mother of Sigrid, Lola McLaughlan, who was NSW’s first female butcher and owned and worked in Lance Needs butcher shops in Speers Point, Boolaroo and Warners Bay,” he explained. “We are here in a small space which has its own pros and cons – everything is takeout except the optional coffee mugs. We have limited spaces, so the idea is that everyone brings their picnic mat and chairs and finds a shady spot in the grounds to enjoy all that we have to offer.” Harry & Lola’s uses Marvell Street Coffee – from roasters in Byron Bay – but otherwise favors local suppliers.”We make awesome maqui bowls (similar to acai) and work with Machupe Maqui of Newcastle, owner of the WIA store in Newcastle,” Marshall said. “The bowls are a real hit here at the park. Then we have our classic avocado toast, ham and cheese toast and a kimchi and cheese toast too – the kimchi is sourced locally from Jane at Wholefood Family [Broadmeadow] and she gets all her vegetables from Dylan and Elle at Newcastle Greens. Plus, Stinky Corner Sundays kicks off this week (November 28) – live music by the lake on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you’re unfamiliar with ‘Stinky Corner,’ asks one Lake Macquarie resident. “We plan to collaborate with other Newcastle legends on food and drink, with Tony [Harrison] Harrison’s Food & Wine takes care of the food and Cattleyard Brewing makes the beers for the former. We plan to bring Modus to the next event,” Marshall said. “Everything is super exciting. The public can bring chairs and rugs and sit back and enjoy all of the above from 4-7 p.m..” Our reporters work hard to bring local, up-to-date news to the community. That’s how you can keep going to access our trusted content:
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There are plenty of reasons to visit picturesque Speers Point Park on the north shore of Lake Macquarie – a huge playground, regular markets, the public swimming pool, the multi-arts pavilion.
You can now add Harry & Lola’s to the list.
The cafe is the second venture for business partners Luke Marshall and Rob and Sigrid Faraday-Bensley, who already own and run The Kiosk in Newcastle Beach.
“Rob grew up on the lake and knows the area well,” said Marshall, who grew up in Morpeth. Food & Wine.
“We are always looking for opportunities to increase the reach of our business and ensure that we continue to provide great and exciting opportunities for our people.”
Marshall says the “waves aren’t as good” as those facing the Kiosk, but Harry & Lola’s lakeside location is “still amazing.”
“Harry and Lola’s is named after Rob’s grandfather, Harry Oughton, who grew up and worked his whole life at Speers Point as a builder and was a well-known member of Speers Point RSL, and grandmother to Sigrid , Lola McLaughlan, who was the first female butcher in New South Wales and owned and worked in Lance Needs butcher shops in Speers Point, Boolaroo and Warners Bay,” he explained.
“We’re in a small space here which has its own pros and cons – everything is take away except the optional coffee cups. We have limited seating so the idea is that everyone brings their own picnic mat and chairs and find a shady spot in the park to enjoy all we have to offer.”
Harry & Lola’s uses Marvell Street Coffee – Byron Bay roasters – but otherwise favors local suppliers.
“We make awesome maqui (similar to acai) bowls and work with Machupe Maqui of Newcastle, owner of the WIA store in Newcastle,” Marshall said.
“The bowls are a real hit here at the park. Then we have our classic avocado toast, ham and cheese toast and a kimchi and cheese toast too – the kimchi is sourced locally from Jane at Wholefood Family [Broadmeadow] and she gets all her vegetables from Dylan and Elle in Newcastle Greens.”
Plus, Stinky Corner Sundays kicks off this week (November 28) – live music by the lake on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you’re unfamiliar with “Stinky Corner,” ask a Lake Macquarie local.
“We plan to collaborate with other Newcastle legends on food and drink, with Tony [Harrison] of Harrison’s Food & Wine taking care of food and Cattleyard Brewing making beers for the former. We plan to have Modus participate for the next event,” Marshall said.
“It’s all super exciting. Audiences can bring chairs and rugs and sit and enjoy all of the above from 4-7pm.”
Harry & Lola’s is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday.
Our reporters work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. Here’s how you can continue to access our trusted content: