Aside from tinsel, trees, twinkling lights and Santa…mince pies are a staple part of Christmas, without which the holiday season would just be sad, empty and falling apart (rather like our attempt at homemade mince pies come to think of it…) Therefore, knowing where to find the best mince pies in London is an absolute necessity. A fundamental must. Sooooo, as an early Christmas present to you, we’ve compiled a list of the bestest, tastiest, and quite frankly yummiest mince pies in London Town. A bit of Christmas cheer and all that!
1. Popham’s
This year, the bakers at beloved chain Pophams are bringing back their famous mince pies in collaboration with The Kings Ginger English liqueur, available across all three of their London bakeries in Islington, London Fields and Victoria Park. Boozy, buttery, flakey and creamy, Pophams’ pies contain a classic mix of currants, raisins, sultanas apple and suet, along with plenty of rich spices, candied peel and citrus that has been steeped in a heady amount of The King’s Ginger.
The team feeds the mincemeat daily with the delicious liqueur for two months as it matures, and the pastry itself is laminated with 18 layers of Normandy butter and then filled with a good old helping of Cornish clotted cream – the perfect croissant-based Christmas treat. Plus, Popham’s is completely dog-friendly, so what better place to enjoy a post-dog walk treat then?
📍You’ll find Popham’s at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.
💰 Price from £3.50 per mince pie.
2. Konditor
Putting even our own grannys’ pies to shame, Konditor undoubtedly have some of the best mince pies to have ever graced the surface of the culinary world. With locations across London, there is no excuse (and no reason) not to experience the perfect pastry made with organic free-range eggs and natural butter, (‘Konditor’ means pastry chef in German, you know…) balanced with a mouth-watering filling that would knock the socks off Santa Claus himself if he got even a whiff.
📍You’ll find Konditor at three different locations in London. You can find out more here.
💰 Price from £20 per box of 12 mince pies.
3. Toklas Bakery
From the acclaimed bakery at Toklas in Temple, you’ll find a fabulously-flaky shortcrust pastry encasing minced meat packed with home-candied pomelo peel from the Todolí Citrus Fundacio in Valencia. Quinces are slowly roasted, before they’re mixed with bramley and braeburn apples, a healthy splash of brandy and heady mixed spices. They’re so good in fact that last year, the bakery completely sold out. Best get yourself down there quickly then…
📍You’ll find Toklas Bakery at 9 Surrey Street, Temple, London, WC2R 2ND
🚇 Nearest station is Temple.
💰 Price from £3.20 per mince pie.
When it comes to delicious baking, the only proper direction you need to head is really Bread Ahead. As well as some pretty incredible doughnuts, they also have a smattering of lovely mince pies come the winter season.
On top of all of this, there are decadent doughnuts with flavours like jam, classic vanilla and caramel, sea salt and honeycomb – to name but a few.
📍You’ll find Bread Ahead Bakery at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.
💰 Price TBC.
5. Fortitude Bakehouse
Fortitude’s founder and Head Baker, Dee Rettali, has been fermenting her minced meat for two years now – which is why the craft bakehouse’s pies are a cut above the rest. Having gained viral notoriety for their wider menu of ferment forward bakes, Dee uses miso to kick-start the fermentation process, adding the usual suspects of currants, apples and more as well as a secret ingredient – Guinness. Yep, you read that right! That sweet Irish stuff.
It’s then baked into the classic shortcrust, and fans can also get their mitts on a Mince pie galette – a puff pastry masterpiece of almond frangipane topped with mincemeat and custard.
📍You’ll find Fortitude Bakehouse at 35 Colonnade, London, WC1N 1JD.
🚇 Nearest station is Russell Square.
💰 Price from £3.25 per mince pie.
This humble Hackney shop has been serving cupcakes, scones, and other delights to hungry customers since 2010 – they also happened to be the official wedding cake caterers to Harry and Megan’s wedding back in 2018.
Creations from Violet Cakes are made with organic ingredients where possible, and this extends to their range of savoury and brunch options. Added to this, they also bake some of London’s best mince pies – they’re made with English apples, brandy-soaked sultanas, currants and raisins, with candied citrus peel and a sprinkling of tasty winter spices too.
📍You’ll find Violet Cakes at 47 Wilton Way, Hackney, E8 3ED.
🚇 Nearest stations are Hackney Downs and Hackney Central.
💰 Price TBC.
7. Ottolenghi
No surprises here – Ottolenghi’s mince pies are a real Christmas classic and perfect for . The secret lies within the pastry, which is kept flaky and tender thanks to the amount of butter and enriched egg yolks within the recipe. Inside, the mincemeat, made in August for extra maceration time, includes dried fruits, apples, and spices soaked in heaps of rum and brandy for depth of flavour, with lemon zest for an added lift. Find them in all Ottolenghi delis (Chelsea, Marylebone, Spitalfields, Notting Hill and Islington) from November 27.
📍You’ll find Ottolenghi at various locations in London. You can find out more here.
💰 Price from £3.40.
8. St. JOHN Bakery
Long-awaited and avidly adored, St. JOHN’s mince pies are practically a thing of legend at this point and definitely some of the best mince pies in London we’d argue. The pastry is firm, yet giving, the filling thick and textured, rich with brandy yet never sickly-sweet. It’s with good reason that these beauties from this gamut of bakeries boast such a loyal following. Once they’re home, do as owner Fergus does and eat yours warm with a thick Jersey cream and a hefty pour of Madeira.
📍You’ll find St. JOHN Bakery at various locations in London. You can find out more here.
💰 Price from £3 per mince pie.
9. Melrose and Morgan
A grocer-come-kitchen with two shops in the leafy neighbourhoods of Primrose Hill and Hampstead, Melrose and Morgan sells a whole range of lush goodies – from cherry madeira and lemon drizzle cake to fresh salads, artisan breads and charcuterie boards too. They also rustle up some bloody delicious gourmet mince pies during the Christmas period, and you can expect to indulge in them all over the Christmas and New Year period.
📍You’ll find Melrose and Morgan at 42 Gloucester Avenue, London, NW1 8JD and Oriel Place, London, NW3 1QN.
🚇 Nearest stations are Chalk Farm and Hampstead.
💰 Price from £9.95 per box of six mince pies.
10. Paul Rhodes Bakery
This artisan, Greenwich-based bakery is definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in the area, as they sell a vast variety of breads, cakes, tarts, traybakes and more.
When it comes to mince pies over the Christmas period, they offer a real classic variety with mincemeat mix made of currants, sultanas and mixed peel, an extra helping of mixed spice and lemon juice on top, and demerara sugar to finish it off. Sounds pretty darn delectable to us…
📍You’ll find the Paul Rhodes Bakery at Lassell Street, London, SE10 9PJ and 37 King William Walk, London, SE10 9HU.
🚇 Nearest stations are Maze Hill and Cutty Sark.
💰 Price TBC.
11. Gail’s
With a seasonally-changing menu consisting of goodies including chocolate and hazelnut buns, mozzarella, tomato and pesto focaccia and sticky date and coconut babka buns, Gail’s really is one of the best bakeries in the whole of London Town.
Fancy loaves of crusty bread – much of it gluten-free – maple bacon brioche and afternoon tea treats are all name of the game here, and come the Christmas season, there are some absolutely delicious mince pies with flaky pastry and gooey fillings.
📍You’ll find Gail’s at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.
💰 Price TBC.
12. Pump Street Bakery
Ok, so this one’s technically not in London, though as they’re available online for nationwide delivery, we figured that they were worth including. Based in Suffolk, the Pump Street Bakery in Woodbridge is offering customers around the country the chance to taste the very finest mince pies this year. The bakers here go the extra mile to ensure the flakiest crust and moreish middles, with the hyper-local ingredients playing a pivotal role in adding distinctive flavour and texture.
The mincemeat is made using baked apples from High House Farm located just two miles away from the bakery, the oh-so-familiar Vostizza currants found in the synonymous eccles cakes along with raisins, sultanas, lemon and orange peel, and finally a delicate balance of spice and plenty of brandy. They also use pastel de nata moulds to ensure our pastry is thin and filling is deep! Sounds like a winner to us…
📍You can order your mince pies online from the Pump Street Bakery website here.
💰 Price from £18.50 for six mince pies.
So there you have it, a roundup of some of the best mince pies in London. So seeing as Christmas is nearly upon us, you’d better loosen up that waistband!
