Where to find the tastiest mince pies in London
Christmas time in London signals the grand return of mince pies, sparking a delightful rivalry among the city's bakeries to claim the title of the best mince pies around. For those unfamiliar with this festive treats, a mince pie is a sweet English pastry filled with a blend of fruits, spices, and suet, traditionally enjoyed during the Christmas season. Here are six of our tried and tested favourites.
Chatsworth Bakehouse
#FLODown: Situated at the foot of Crystal Palace Hill, Chatsworth Bakehouse, a small-batch bakery, has earned a reputation for its popular sandwiches since opening during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their mince pies are full of flavour and might just give their famous sandwiches a run for their money.
Location: 120a Anerley Road, Crystal Palace, SE19 2NA. Website: chatsworthbakehouse.com. Instagram: @chatsworthbakehouse.
Pophams Bakery
#FLODown: This year, Pophams, renowned for their delicious pastries, brings back their beloved mince pies. Crafted in collaboration with The King's Ginger English liqueur, these mince pie pouches boast a perfect flakiness and creaminess that place them among the finest in the city.
Location: Islington, London Fields, Victoria Park. Website: pophamsbakery.com. Instagram: @pophamsbakery.
Toklas Bakery
#FLODown: Toklas in Temple presents mince pies with a flaky shortcrust pastry and minced meat infused with home-candied pomelo peel from the Todolí Citrus Fundacio. Their mince pies combine slowly roasted quinces with Bramley and Braeburn apples, complemented by a splash of brandy! They tend to sell out fast, so grab them while you can.
Location: Toklas Bakery, 9 Surrey St, Temple, London WC2R 2ND. Website: toklaslondon.com. Instagram: @toklas_bakery.
Fortitude Bakehouse
#FLODown: Popular bakery Fortitude Bakehouse, known for their fermentation practices, puts this to use in their mince pies. The fermented contents include currants, apples, and even Guinness, resulting in mincemeat that delivers a pie oozing with long-fermented flavours and a slight sprinkle of icing sugar. You wont regret giving it a try!
Location: Fortitude Bakehouse at 35 Colonnade, London, WC1N 1JD. Website: fortitudebakehouse.com. Instagram: @fortitudebakehouse.
Jolene
#FLODown: At the renowned Hackney hotspot Jolene, they're known for their unique preparation of mincemeat, setting the mix aside nearly a year in advance. A portion of the previous Christmas' stuffing is preserved and incorporated into the next year's blend, resulting in exquisitely well-stewed flavours. Encased in puff pastry with a delightful caramelised finish, the taste is nothing short of sensational.
Location: 21 Newington Green, N16 9PU. Website: jolenen16.com. Instagram: @joleneredchurch.
St John
#FLODown: St. John's, a familiar name among Londoners for its renowned restaurants and delicious Eccles cakes and doughnuts, now introduces their crumbly, buttery mince pies—a definite must-try! These delightful treats are available for takeaway at Neal’s Yard, Druid Street, Smithfield, and Shoreditch. If you choose to enjoy them at one of their inviting locations, they are best served with a dollop of clotted cream, perhaps paired with a glass of their wines.
Location: Vvarious locations. Website: stjohnrestaurant.com. Instagram: @st.john.restaurant.
Bermondsey Street Festival · Frieze Sculpture 2024 · London Design Festival 2024 · Future of Food Festival · Ara Malikian · La traviata, The Royal Opera · Open House London · Negroni Week · Michael Craig-Martin · Yelena Popova: Of Dust and Breath · Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears · Lap-See Lam · Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end…
Slice teams up with Yard Sale Pizza for free Pizza on the 24 September at their Hackney Road Store….
The exhibition ‘MARY MARY’ will feature sculptures by nine women artists on the roof terrace above Temple tube station from October 2024 to September 2025…
Hayu FanFest will make its debut in London on 26 October, featuring exclusive panels, star-studded meet-and-greets, and a special appearance by Andy Cohen…
London's bustling art week returns next month, with Frieze London and Frieze Masters launching at The Regent's Park from 9 to 13 October 2024. During this time, several other art fairs will also be taking place across the city…
Queen’s Park is set to bid farewell to summer with a vibrant street party on Lonsdale Road, scheduled for Friday, 13th September, from 4-10pm. This exciting event will unite the local community with a lively set by Hed Kandi DJ John Jones …
London Podcast Festival 2024 · Birkenstock 250th Anniversary Exhibition · Rolf Hind: Sky in a Small Cage · Totally Thames 2024 · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival 2024 · Cornelius + Ichiko Aoba · The Marriage of Figaro, The Royal Opera · Rooftop Book Club · The Vinyl Factory: REVERB · Ernest Cole: House of Bondage · Roger Mayne: Youth …
A significant piece of London’s nightlife history is making its way to the new London Museum, set to open in 2026. The iconic sign from the renowned nightclub fabric, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, will be featured in the museum’s permanent installation…
Babur is a respected family run restaurant in an unassuming neighbourhood which opened back in 1985 and has clearly stood the test of time. The kitchen is led by two talented chefs (formerly of the renowned luxury Oberoi Hotel Group) head chef Jiwan Lal and sous chef Praveen Kumar Gupta, who both helped Babur receive London’s Best Asian Restaurant at the Asian Restaurant Awards in 2022.
One Tree Hill Nature Reserve offers a peaceful retreat from busy London. Located in Honor Oak It can be reached by the Overground train arriving at Honor Oak, a small reserve of 7 acres with interesting history, wildlife and stunning panoramic views towards the city.
Lumen Studios present NONOTAK’s ECLIPSE in London with a 1,000-square-metre immersive light and sound exhibition.
Shifters, currently on at The Duke of York’s Theatre following a sold-out first run at Bush Theatre, is the story of Dre and Des: two childhood friends who reunite at the wake of Dre’s Nana after eight long years apart.
Kinnari Saraiya is a London-based Indian artist, curator, and researcher whose work focuses on trans-altern and post-humanist ideas from the Global South. She is currently a curator at Somerset House and has held positions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Frieze Art Fair, and Bowes Museum....
Arte Povera at Bourse de Commerce · retrospective of Jackson Pollock’s Musée National Picasso-Paris · Barbara Crane’s photography at Centre Pompidou · Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann & …, at Fondation Louis Vuitton · Petit Palais Palais de Tokyo…
Berlin, Berlin: 20 Years of the Helmut Newton Foundation · Alexandra Pirici and Nama Tsbar at Hamburger Bahnhof · Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: The Soul Station · Luis Roque: Estufa · Galli: See How You Get On · Akinbode Akinbiyi: Being, Seeing, Wandering · Frans Hals: Master of the Fleeting Moment · Dream On—Berlin, the 90s...
Wilhelm Sasnal: Painting as Prop at Stedelijk Museum · Matthew Wong: Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort at Van Gogh Museum · Point of View at Rijksmuseum…
On the last Saturday of August, Tate Modern Lates will present a unique collaboration with the acclaimed rapper, singer, and actor Little Simz, who will curate an exclusive evening of music, conversations, workshops...
Classical Music Opening Weekend Southbank Centre · CelebrASIA Festival at Battersea Power Station · Rooftop Book Club · Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION · London Design Festival 2024 · Totally Thames 2024 · Open House London · Art Exhibitions · Voyages Extraordinaires at Gothic Bar · Waterworks Festival · The Last Night of the Proms · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival…
National Prosecco Weekend · Fiddler on the Roof · Hospitality In The Woods · All Points East Festival · Hogarth’s House · Afternoon Tea Week 2024 · Wellness in Nature · Homelessness: Reframed · Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent · Hockney and Piero: A Longer Look · Banksy’s in London · POoR Collective: Together We Rise…
Andi and Miquita Oliver introduced Wilderness Festival goers to a selection of European cheeses, sharing culinary tips and insights during a live podcast with special guest Matt Tebbutt….
Marc Quinn: Light into Life · Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere · Roger Mayne: Youth · C. Rose Smith: Talking Back to Power · Rheim Alkadhi: Templates for Liberation · REVERB by The Vinyl Factory · Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection · Design Discoveries: Towards a DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN · Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 · Francis Alÿs: Ricochets · Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence …
We were keen to receive an invitation to tour this year’s 13th Edition of Sculpture in the City. There is something about public sculpture, which is extremely appealing, with each sculpture displayed with its own unique back drop…
Official Team GB Fan Zones · King’s Cross Fan Zone · Battersea Power Station Fan Zone · Grosvenor Square, Mayfair Fan Zone · Old Royal Naval College’s Summer Big Screen · Bishops Square, Spitalfields · Hammersmith Summer Festival · Lower Marsh, Waterloo · Summer in the Square, Marylebone · Summer Screens, Canary Wharf · Summer by the River….
José María Velasco: A View of Mexico · Noah Davis · Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism · Christina Kimeze · Citra Sasmita: Into Eternal Land · Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo · The Music Is Black: A British Story · Kiefer/Van Gogh · Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350 · Kerry James Marshall · A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle · Mickalene Thomas: All About Love · RA Summer Exhibition 2025…
Southbank Centre reveals exciting line-up for London Literature Festival 2024, co-curated by rapper Ghetts and featuring exclusive book launches and poetry events…
Cocktails in the City‧ Somerset House Summer Series‧ UEFA EURO 2024: England v Netherlands‧ BST Hyde Park‧ Wimbledon‧ Kew the Music‧ You Belong Here‧ Kaleidoscope Festival‧ Come As You Really Are‧ Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024‧ Barbie: The Exhibition‧ Joy Labinjo: We Are Briefly Gorgeous‧ Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream)‧ Old Royal Naval College’s Summer Big Screen‧ Rucola rooftop restaurant‧ The Literacy Pirates
Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail · Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence · Naomi: In Fashion · Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection…
Explore Taylor Swift's fashion journey from country beginnings to global pop phenomenon with 16 iconic looks at the V&A this summer…
Everyman Cinema returns with free outdoor screenings at two spectacular waterside venues, Kings Cross and The Brentford Project, this summer 2024…