It's Christmas in the Bakeries
And here are all the exciting festive baked goods for your list…
Before we get to festive deliciousness…
QUICK UPDATES FIRST:
There’s another RAYE pop up until December 20th at Coal Drops’ Yard by Kings Cross so if you’re looking to buy from independent starts ups for Christmas gifts go down and check it out.
📌 108 Lower Stable Street, Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DRI hosted the first Paid Subscribers meet up on Sunday and it was so much fun (I mean I obviously thought so, but other people said so too!). Everyone contributed to a kitty at the end of October and at Salon du Chocolat I bought 24 different chocolate bars from 18 different makers. I’ll share the full list in a future newsletter.
The next meet up will either be another in person chocolate tasting or, more likely, an online chat with an olive oil expert (no additional charge and a discount for their olive oil if you’d like to order it before the chat). I’m also open to your ideas for what you’d like to do/hear at the meet ups. I’m hoping for one every 2-4 months.
If you’re interested in joining this lovely bunch of people who help support the work in creating the newsletter and get access to a lot more in return, for everyone who signs up with an annual subscription to
before the end of December - for themselves or as a gift subscription, I’ll be donating £5 to charity. Last year I sent money to Médecins Sans Frontières who are on the ground in crisis areas around the world. I’m not sure yet if it will be the same charity or different. Feel free to send me your suggestions!On expensive Mince Pies
Two weeks ago, the day after my birthday, I went along to a Ladies of Restaurants panel talk on sourcing - this one about chocolate - which Joanna Brennan of Pump Street Chocolate was speaking at.
Before they kicked off, I was chatting with Jo, who is also the co-founder of Pump Street Bakery, and she shared the drama of first The Sun slating their mince pies because they were the most expensive in the country (£25 for 6), then the story travelling to the Daily Mail where the take was similar. By the time the story reached The Times and The Guardian, the view was (I paraphrase): “well, they are excellent mince pies and that’s the cost of good ingredients, plus real human beings involved in the process”.
Jo arrived into work to line upon line of orders and the entire stock sold out. 🎉
I am thrilled that there are enough people who understand that good food, made ethically, costs more money, to buy up all of the mince pies. Pump Street have been making more, keep an eye on this link if you want to try them.
As I’m sure you are also that person who appreciates well made food, today I bring you lots of other suggestions for Christmas treats made with love and good quality ingredients.
And you can review my posts from previous years if it’s mince pies you’re keen to know about:
From 2022, a blind tasting of 12 with lots of mince pie history and advice from
and Calum Franklin:
And, if you search for “mince” in my archive you’ll find 11 😱 other posts where I shared Christmas products in the past two years.
Here’s the big summary from last year:
A 2023 London Christmassy Round Up
I started writing this on Monday and I flipped over to my email to see …. new subscriber notifications.
Today’s list goes beyond London! And plenty available by post.
It comes from a call out on Instagram and my own research. Most of the things in this list I haven’t tried, but I thought worthy of your attention in case they are as delicious as they look and sound.
The 2024 Great British Artisanal Christmas Baked Goods Round Up!
Catchy, no?
Panettone
I was sent panettone (and excellent fudge!) by Imma The Bakery in Oxfordshire. This is a very traditional panettone with big pieces of dried fruit inside a soft and fluffy, sugar-encrusted round loaf. Beautifully made.
It’s worth following them on Instagram for their comical reels as well.
If you’re going to be in Oxfordshire you could preorder and swing by to get one!
📌 Unit 51, Van Alloys Industrial Estate, Busgrove Ln, Stoke Row, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 5QW
Open Wednesday to Saturday 8-2pm
Travelling by car is advisable! I visited in the summer and enjoyed the pastries we had. The loaf of bread was very good. It’s quite near Nettlebed Creamery where the cheese and small deli selection is excellent.
The fudge I was sent was from Fudge Business. It was bay leaf and black pepper infused. I loved it (and I don’t generally enjoy fudge especially)! Here’s a tasting box that includes a porcini one, too!
More Panettone
In previous years I’ve tried and loved panettone from Sourdough Sophia (her chocolate and orange one uses the best quality peel and high quality chocolate; the original one is great too), from Birley Bakery (again the triple chocolate and original were both fabulous - so soft!), and from Pump Street Bakery. All excellent! Pump Street’s panettone chocolate bar doesn’t have panettone in it, unlike their other baked-good-inspired bars, but orange peel, flaked almonds and the giant sugar crystals that top a panettone. It’s great.
This year I bought a chocolate and hazelnut panettone from Kouttune at the Toklas Bakery market last weekend. I haven’t tried it yet but I hear good things. They are also available at Catalyst Roasters and Bake Street London
Also making panettone, in Forest Gate, East London, is Sam of Ancient Lights. Here’s the full extensive festive menu from this one-man band:
I tried the chocolate and orange panettone last night and it was excellent. Not too orangey, which suited me.
More Christmas bakes beyond central London:
On the southern edge of London, Chez Maitre, the third place recipient of the UK Croissant Awards, has their own extensive Christmas menu. I’ve mentioned before that I love that they’re open from 7am and they’re right by Eltham station if you fancy an adventure. Pierre is very talented.
Gingerbread biscuit rocking horse personalised with names on request
Christmas filled croissant with turkey, brie, cranberry, watercress & baby spinach
Christmas biscuits: Chocolate, walnut & orange + Lemon & raspberry dodgers + Hazelnut & dark chocolate shortbread
Chocolate frangipane & Orange tart
Blackcurrant, fromage blanc & chestnut tartlet ("Mont Blanc”)
Cranberry & Walnut wholewheat sourdough
In Edinburgh, Twelve Triangles also have a Cranberry & Walnut loaf. I’m also wishing I could try their upgraded mince pies with walnuts, their soft chestnut and chocolate buns and I heard great things abut the croissant biscotti. This is the bakery that makes the miche crumb chocolate bar I wrote about recently.
Landrace in Bath are also selling London-based Quince’s Christmas pudding plus their own delicious things. I’ve linked to their mail-order store but if you visit you’ll have things like this chestnut pastry:
Based in Oxfordshire, but posting anywhere, is newly re-branded Pipii. Here’s what you can get from Karishma:
I’ve only ever tried Karishma’s brownies but they were excellent. She’s got fabulous taste.
In Norfolk, Mabel Bakery recently had a horrible fire that put them out of their kitchen. They’re still finding a way to make delicious things, like gingerbread knots and this savoury pigs-in-blankets pastry:
📌 11 Market Place, Downham Market PE38 9DF
And for more sweet treats in Norfolk, Kirsty of wholesaler Matilda Bakes, whose slices and cakes I’ve raved about before, has sent me the entire list of what festive bakes she’s selling:
Available at The Yard coffee Norwich
- Black Forest brownies (kirsch cherries with a vanilla mascarpone swirl)
- mincemeat Bakewell (xmas spiced & orange zest frangipane, with homemade mincemeat (tonka & cherries heavily featured), fibished with orange and tonka glaze )Available at Flock Coffee exclusively Norwich
- Gingerbread & Biscoff sponge (gingerbread sponge with a Biscoff cream cheese icing)Available at Bare Foods Deli Norwich
- festive Slice (Xmas spice & orange sponge with my homemade mincemeat mixed through it, topped with a white chocolate ganache and dried cranberries )
- chocolate & baileys sponge ( signature chocolate fudge with added baileys, topped with a boozy baileys & vanilla icing )Fig & Olive - Cromer
- Chocolate & baileys sponge
- Black Forest Brownies
- Black Forest Bakewell ( Morrello cherry jam & kirsch cherries in a chocolate frangipane)
- Xmas Rocky Road ( festive biscuits, cinnamon pretzels, popcorn, all mixed together in spiced chocolate)
In Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard, at Canal St Coffee - Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll by @cinnamonpantry. Also available at various Christmas markets. I haven’t tried them but I’ve heard good things.
📌 5 Campbell Wharf, Milton Keynes MK9 4BG
📌 Brantoms Wharf, Leighton Rd, Leighton Buzzard LU7 1LA
In Margate at Oast their yule log will be landing on counters soon. I still haven’t been to Oast despite it being two years old. I will fix this in 2025.
📌 68 Northdown Rd, Cliftonville, Margate CT9 2RL
And in Surrey, Halstead Bakery in Surrey will be launching florentines with chocolate from Pump Street Chocolate and walnuts and almonds from Food and Forest, a gorgeous yule log decorated with dried orange slices and greenery, and a pain d’épices.
📌 24 Camden Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2PT
If you want the most dramatic showpiece Yule log I’ve ever seen in the UK, then head to The Connaught Patisserie by Nicolas Rouzaud for this log or a sled drawn by hounds. I suspect it’s collection or local delivery only:
In Wales, the Ty-Melin Bakeries have stollen and this spiced cranberry & almond danish:
Not too far away in Bristol, Landrace’s mince pies are
’s favourites (I loved them too when I last had them a few years ago).📌 Ground Floor, 59 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BN
And here’s a festive giveaway opportunity!
From Exeter, Exploding Bakery have a Christmas Cake tray bake and amaretti brownies.
There are over 100 places just in London with in-house bakers and at least as many again across the country so this barely touches the surface, but it should give you a good starting point! If you have any favourites from this list of others, please add them in the comments or use the “share” button here to share it with a comment in the Substack app and I’ll see that. Or reply and let me know!
More London Bakery Festive Treats
Excellent sister delis Gladwells in Camberwell and Greensmiths by Waterloo have their own in-house baker now. I stopped in to try their mince pies. If you love dried apricots and rough puff pastry these will be your kryptonite. The shops are filled with so many other carefully selected products too. A haven for foodie gifts or ingredients for your celebration.
📌 Greensmiths Deli & Grocery, 27 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RG
📌 Gladwell's Deli & Grocery, 2 Camberwell Church St, London SE5 8QU
At Le Choux the festive deliciousness includes Black Forest Gateau, Cinnamon & White Chocolate Cookies, Baileys Brownies and more!
You already know I’m a mega fan of Le Choux and EK Bakery and the proprietors are my friends, but they genuinely make some of the best tasting baked goods I’ve ever had. Here’s Elizabeth’s offering for this weekend and by post:
Shuk in Borough Market reached out to tell me about their Festive Babka. I haven’t been able to try it yet but I’ve heard good things about other bake at home babka kits they’ve launched previously. It’s available whole and by the slice until Dec 24.
Babka dough filled with brandy crème pâtissière and traditional mincemeat, topped with a panettone oat crumble
They say:
✨ Ask for it warm or reheat yours at home (just a few mins in the oven does the trick)
🎄 Makes an easy treat for all that hosting, feeding 7 people (or 5 greedy ones)
More things I’ve spotted or sought out on Instagram
Including festive drinks and festive bingo, plus more delicious treats.
This final bit is for paid subscribers. I want to make sure I appreciate how they help me to justify taking the time to share so much each week. I am so grateful to all of you for reading and I hope you’re all happy with the long list above, even if you’re not able to upgrade your experience right now.
In East London
I desperately want to try these chocolate