LDNGuide
The Best Mince Pies In London
photo credit: Konditor
It’s that time of year when we’re subjected to Wham!, problematic relatives, and mince pies that disintegrate into crumbly dust if you so much as look at them funny. We can’t do anything about your relatives or their affinity for belting out Last Christmas, but we can steer you in the direction of London’s best mince pies.
THE PIES
photo credit: Toad Bakery
Santa might work hard, but Toad Bakery in Peckham works harder. These guys have all your mince pie needs covered right up until the 23rd December. We’re already mentally calculating how many of these we can eat in one sitting.
photo credit: The Dusty Knuckle Bakery
Mince pie sceptics might have found a safe space in The Dusty Knuckle. This year the bakery is doing ‘Christmas puffs’. They’ll still be stuffed with mincemeat but instead of crumbly, potentially soggy pastry, they have a fluffy, flaky, puff pastry casing. Available at the Dalston and Green Lanes bakeries.
photo credit: Fortitude Bakehouse
There are very few things that aren’t improved by great Guinness and Fortitude Bakehouse clearly agrees. The small Bloomsbury bakery is adding a dash of the black stuff to their shortcrust pastry this year, as well as fermented mincemeat inside and a light dusting of icing sugar on top.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Morny Bakehouse in Leytonstone is our go-to spot in London for creamy but not-too sweet cruffins, and at this time of year they add mince pies to their tempting counter selection. Just be sure to visit early in the day. If there's one thing east Londoners love more than whippets and overpaying for sardines, it's mince pies.
While you were busy setting an alarm to remind you that 1st December is Christmas tree-buying day, mince pie-lovers know that it’s actually the arrival of St. John’s mince pies. These are aromatic and rich, and sell out quickly. Pre-order them from any of the sites—be it the Clerkenwell restaurant, St. John Marylebone, St John Bread & Wine, or the Neal’s Yard bakery—so you don’t miss out.
There’s a reason we heard one local say to his dog on approach to Eric’s, “Look, it’s our favourite queue”. The excellent, cupboard-sized Dulwich bakery has mince pies on the counter every Friday and Saturday throughout December. But if you don’t want to queue, you can pre-order for Thursday collection.
photo credit: Spence Bakery
During December, all roads lead to the luminous orange Spence Bakery. A favourite among N16 locals, Spence makes shiny mince pies with “the shortest of shortcut pastry” and fills them with fruits soaked in plenty of booze. On a sunny winter’s day, we’d recommend taking yours across the road to Clissold Park.
Layered and perfectly tanned, we like to think we have a lot in common with the mince pies at British restaurant Lyle’s. The pies will line the bar of the industrial-looking Shoreditch dining room every morning in December. Whether you choose a mincemeat or quincemeat filling, they all come in a flaky puff pastry casing with a sprinkling of sugar on top.
photo credit: Violet
Violet Cakes announced their mince pie drop on Instagram with a simple caption: “they are here”. We can get behind that kind of drama. The Hackney bakery have filled their buttery pastry with English apples, brandy-soaked sultanas, candied citrus peel, and winter spices. Forget a light dusting of icing sugar, these pies have been out in a blizzard.
The downfall of many bakeries in London is the poky seating. Often the price you pay for an excellent pastry is having to eat it on a cold bench outside. But not at Toklas. This Aldwych bakery is spacious and calming, and serving mince pies all December long. Expect elevated fillings like Todolí citrus, Corinthian raisins, and English quinces.
photo credit: Pophams
Pophams’ mince pie pastry is laminated with 18 layers of butter—which is the same number of blankets we require during winter. As well as decadent pastry, you can expect mincemeat that’s been fed liquor daily for two months. These are the divas of the mince pie world. Get yours from any of the three bakeries—Islington, London Fields, or Victoria Park.
Konditor is a nostalgic cake shop that’s been around since 1993 and is still a go-to for homemade-tasting bakes. These mince pies are available by the boxful, are filled with vegetarian mincemeat, and you can get them delivered nationwide. Don’t leave without trying the chocolate cake too, it’s one of the best in London. Head to the Holborn branch where there’s some seating outside.
photo credit: Esters
Come to Esters for one of the best breakfasts around, stay for (several) mince pies. The Stoke Newington cafe uses suet and a malted wheat pastry, plus an all-important glug of Somerset cider brandy. They’re selling them from the counter but you can also fill out a form when you visit to order batches of six.
photo credit: Sourdough Sophia
This pink bakery in Crouch End feels like somewhere Barbie would come for her mince pie fix, which is the highest praise we can give. At Sourdough Sophia the mincemeat is homemade, the pastry is satisfyingly crumbly, and the pre-order system is convenient. We call that a Christmas triple-threat.
