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Mince pie from Lyle’s.
Lyle’s beef-mince mince pie
Lyle’s [Official Photo]

London’s Most Festive Mince Pies

Some rich and boozy, some light and tangy, some featuring actual mince

by Virginia Hartley, Emma Hughes, and James Hansen Updated
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Lyle’s beef-mince mince pie
| Lyle’s [Official Photo]
by Virginia Hartley, Emma Hughes, and James Hansen Updated

Mince pies are Marmitey (not literally; although, come to think of it...), adored and despised in equal measure. But 2022’s pies are available in so many guises — brothy and beefy versus citrus-aromatic, suet versus almond meal, macro versus micro — that even the ambivalent can find a room that appeals at the inn. As ever, the trend is away from domestic goddess twee towards savoury, suety, and distinctly medieval. Here’s where to find them.

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Ottolenghi Notting Hill

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If there is such thing as a sleeper-hit mince pie, this might be it, with a booze-soaked fruit filling that hangs together rather than glooping, and exceptionally friable pastry.

63 Ledbury Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 2AD, UK
020 7727 1121
020 7727 1121

Bread By Bike

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The only ancestral mince pies in the city. Bread by Bike’s 2021 mince pies are filled with a mincemeat fed by that of 2020, which adds a seriously adult depth of flavour to an already brandy-soaked interior. Sweet pastry doesn’t always work, but it’s exactly what this filling needs — a hit.

30 Brecknock Rd, Kentish Town, London N7 0DD, UK

The Quality Chop House

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Pies topped with a candied wheel of orange and a layer of almond frangipane, which is an inspired textural twist. These are citrusy, aromatic, and probably even release little clouds of essential oils on their way up from the oven downstairs. A softer set on the mincemeat here, all limpid, barely-suspended fruit and boozy liquor. A very refined and luscious little pie — available in multiples to order, too.

88-94 Farringdon Rd, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3EA, UK
020 7278 1452
020 7278 1452

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St John Restaurant

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Available across all their sites, but really to be paired with a glass of something spirited to cut through their weight. Marc say, or Vieille Prune. Size of a pork pie, more crust than crumb, the shortcrust pastry fired to an almost biscuit texture and the filling as staunch as a plum pudding — or as thick as tar, depending on the eater’s view. A pie to work or sleep on.

St John Restaurant, 26 St John St, London EC1M 4AY, UK

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Esters

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Rightly famed for London’s best cookie, Esters is also a contender for the best mince pie. Playing rough-hewn off against lacy on the pastry front, these interim-sized pies will leave behind a dusting of pastry shrapnel in just the manner a good croissant would aspire to. A saltier, rather than sweeter number, which is a good thing, and featuring plump fruit-flecked aged mince. Small numbers daily, with an appearance on the counter around 9 a.m.

55 Kynaston Rd, Stoke Newington, London N16 0EB, UK

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40 Maltby St

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Another mince pie taking its name seriously: yes, more meat. Beefy, brothy mincemeat with an edge feral tang; a deep bowl of textbook pastry that’s both fatty and frugal; a moat of yellow jersey cream. Savoury and sublime.

40 Maltby St, London SE1 3PA, UK

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Violet

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Diminutive mouthfuls of almond-rich pastry under a snowdrift of confectioners sugar, which gives these a softer, biscuit-like texture. More about the pastry than the filling at this size, so one for the mincemeat agnostics out there.

47 Wilton Way, London E8 3ED, UK
020 7275 8360
020 7275 8360

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The Dusty Knuckle Bakery

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One of the most consistent pies in the city, this Dalston bakery packs its pastry lids to the rafters with dark, sticky mincemeat, to the point that the hefty dusting of icing sugar is almost a necessary corrective to the maturity of the fruit.

Abbot St, Dalston, London E8 3DP, UK
020 3903 7598
020 3903 7598

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Toad Bakery

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This Camberwell newcomer has hit the bullseye since day one, and its mince pie is no exception. If there were a competition for the booziest filling, this might win; if there were a competition for flakiest pastry, this might win; if there were a competition for “what if ... glacé cherries in mincemeat?” This would definitely win.

44 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8GB, UK

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E5 Bakehouse

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With their slightly too-small lids and rounded shape, E5’s pies recall the nostalgia of a home bake in a flimsy muffin tin, in the best way possible. The pastry itself is one of the richest of the season, and the mincemeat is in fine balance.

396 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH, UK
020 8525 2890
020 8525 2890

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Tetote Factory

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Christmas is Tetote Factory’s trolling season, and it’s doubled down this year by adding an inside joke of a cinnamon roll to its Christmas offer. Its stock bun dough is fashioned into a little cradle for mincemeat, apple, and custard, with a pastry star placed on top for a wink at tradition.

12 S Ealing Rd, London W5 4QA, UK
020 8579 8391
020 8579 8391

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Lyle's

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One of the city’s finest pies got harder to secure after the closure of the Lyle’s bakery sibling, Flor, but that doesn’t take away from the pleasure of enjoying one at the counter in Shoreditch, or at the end of a lunch or dinner. A truly beefy mincemeat, with a thick yet crackly rough puff, it’s accessorised with thick cream. For vegetarians, the quincemeat is a winning alternative.

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6GY, UK
020 3011 5911
020 3011 5911

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Ottolenghi Notting Hill

63 Ledbury Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 2AD, UK

If there is such thing as a sleeper-hit mince pie, this might be it, with a booze-soaked fruit filling that hangs together rather than glooping, and exceptionally friable pastry.

63 Ledbury Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 2AD, UK
020 7727 1121
020 7727 1121

Bread By Bike

30 Brecknock Rd, Kentish Town, London N7 0DD, UK

The only ancestral mince pies in the city. Bread by Bike’s 2021 mince pies are filled with a mincemeat fed by that of 2020, which adds a seriously adult depth of flavour to an already brandy-soaked interior. Sweet pastry doesn’t always work, but it’s exactly what this filling needs — a hit.

30 Brecknock Rd, Kentish Town, London N7 0DD, UK

The Quality Chop House

88-94 Farringdon Rd, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3EA, UK

Pies topped with a candied wheel of orange and a layer of almond frangipane, which is an inspired textural twist. These are citrusy, aromatic, and probably even release little clouds of essential oils on their way up from the oven downstairs. A softer set on the mincemeat here, all limpid, barely-suspended fruit and boozy liquor. A very refined and luscious little pie — available in multiples to order, too.

88-94 Farringdon Rd, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3EA, UK
020 7278 1452
020 7278 1452

St John Restaurant

St John Restaurant, 26 St John St, London EC1M 4AY, UK

Available across all their sites, but really to be paired with a glass of something spirited to cut through their weight. Marc say, or Vieille Prune. Size of a pork pie, more crust than crumb, the shortcrust pastry fired to an almost biscuit texture and the filling as staunch as a plum pudding — or as thick as tar, depending on the eater’s view. A pie to work or sleep on.

St John Restaurant, 26 St John St, London EC1M 4AY, UK

Esters

55 Kynaston Rd, Stoke Newington, London N16 0EB, UK

Rightly famed for London’s best cookie, Esters is also a contender for the best mince pie. Playing rough-hewn off against lacy on the pastry front, these interim-sized pies will leave behind a dusting of pastry shrapnel in just the manner a good croissant would aspire to. A saltier, rather than sweeter number, which is a good thing, and featuring plump fruit-flecked aged mince. Small numbers daily, with an appearance on the counter around 9 a.m.

55 Kynaston Rd, Stoke Newington, London N16 0EB, UK

40 Maltby St

40 Maltby St, London SE1 3PA, UK

Another mince pie taking its name seriously: yes, more meat. Beefy, brothy mincemeat with an edge feral tang; a deep bowl of textbook pastry that’s both fatty and frugal; a moat of yellow jersey cream. Savoury and sublime.

40 Maltby St, London SE1 3PA, UK

Violet

47 Wilton Way, London E8 3ED, UK

Diminutive mouthfuls of almond-rich pastry under a snowdrift of confectioners sugar, which gives these a softer, biscuit-like texture. More about the pastry than the filling at this size, so one for the mincemeat agnostics out there.

47 Wilton Way, London E8 3ED, UK
020 7275 8360
020 7275 8360

The Dusty Knuckle Bakery

Abbot St, Dalston, London E8 3DP, UK

One of the most consistent pies in the city, this Dalston bakery packs its pastry lids to the rafters with dark, sticky mincemeat, to the point that the hefty dusting of icing sugar is almost a necessary corrective to the maturity of the fruit.

Abbot St, Dalston, London E8 3DP, UK
020 3903 7598
020 3903 7598

Toad Bakery

44 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8GB, UK

This Camberwell newcomer has hit the bullseye since day one, and its mince pie is no exception. If there were a competition for the booziest filling, this might win; if there were a competition for flakiest pastry, this might win; if there were a competition for “what if ... glacé cherries in mincemeat?” This would definitely win.

44 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8GB, UK

E5 Bakehouse

396 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH, UK

With their slightly too-small lids and rounded shape, E5’s pies recall the nostalgia of a home bake in a flimsy muffin tin, in the best way possible. The pastry itself is one of the richest of the season, and the mincemeat is in fine balance.

396 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH, UK
020 8525 2890
020 8525 2890

Tetote Factory

12 S Ealing Rd, London W5 4QA, UK

Christmas is Tetote Factory’s trolling season, and it’s doubled down this year by adding an inside joke of a cinnamon roll to its Christmas offer. Its stock bun dough is fashioned into a little cradle for mincemeat, apple, and custard, with a pastry star placed on top for a wink at tradition.

12 S Ealing Rd, London W5 4QA, UK
020 8579 8391
020 8579 8391

Lyle's

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6GY, UK

One of the city’s finest pies got harder to secure after the closure of the Lyle’s bakery sibling, Flor, but that doesn’t take away from the pleasure of enjoying one at the counter in Shoreditch, or at the end of a lunch or dinner. A truly beefy mincemeat, with a thick yet crackly rough puff, it’s accessorised with thick cream. For vegetarians, the quincemeat is a winning alternative.

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6GY, UK
020 3011 5911
020 3011 5911