A Guide to London’s Best Festive Bakes, From Eggnog Cream Buns to Boozy Christmas Pudding

Whether you are a traditionalist or prefer innovative twists on the classics, London’s best bakeries have got Christmas creations to satisfy every festive craving. From a rich laminated take on a mince pie to zesty seasonal biscuits, here are a few must-try delicacies from kitchens across the capital.

East London Italian bakery group Forno is known for its slabs of pizzas, luxurious cream-filled maritozzi and, in December, for panettone. Its seasonal Italian sweet bread is crafted with butter-enriched, slow-risen sourdough which ensures a delicate and fluffy texture. Generous on candied fruit and raisins and topped with a nutty almond crackling, this panettone is so good many other bakeries in London choose to stock it on their shelf rather than attempting to rival it with their own. They’re available to purchase in Forno’s three sites, or online.

This year the Pophams bakers are bringing back their annual mince pies in collaboration with The King's Ginger. These unconventional pies feature the classic mix of currants, raisins, sultanas apple and suet, along with plenty of rich spices, candied peel and citrus, all steeped in a heady amount of The King's Ginger liqueur (first crafted by Berry Bros. & Rudd for King Edward VII in 1903). The fragrant filled is encased with Pophams’s signature flaky laminated croissant pastry and filled with Cornish clotted cream. They’re available across all three London bakeries in Islington, London Fields and Victoria Park and online.

One of master pâtissier Nicolas Rouzaud’s best-known creations is the Trio au Chocolat – and he’s given it a festive makeover at his high-end Mayfair bakery inside The Connaught. The striking triple chocolate viennoisserie is crafted from buttery croissant dough tinted with natural colour, with three decadent fillings: rich dark chocolate, silky white chocolate, and smooth gianduja (a hazelnut–milk chocolate blend). For a limited time there is also a layer with spiced cinnamon paste inside, and finished with a charming gingerbread man perched on top.

This year, for the first time Toklas Bakery is treating Londoners to an extra special Christmas pudding packed full of the bakery’s own candied fruit from Todoli citrus, sourdough breadcrumbs and plenty of booze. It’s best eaten with a (large) spoonful of brandy cream. While at Toklas, it’s also worth picking up some of its lebkuchen – traditional German biscuits – made with honey and Spice Mountains spice and finished with a Todoli citrus orange glaze.

Never one to shy away from doing things differently, Camberwell’s storied Toad Bakery has a fun festive menu worth queueing for. Swedish saffron buns, walnut caramels and panellet cookies all feature, but it’s the Yule Hogs that are sure to sell out first. Based on a Norwegian Christmas dinner, these pastries showcase slow-cooked pork shoulder from Farmer Tom Jones, braised in prunes and spices, complemented by house sauerkraut, cheddar and wrapped in croissant dough garnished with a slender guindilla chili pepper.

Those in favour of a classic mince pie shouldn’t go past those at St John, which has bakery outposts at Bermondsey, Borough Corner, Neal’s Yard and the London Review Bookshop. Its firm buttery pastry presents the perfect structure to hold the wonderfully textured filling (rich with fruit, nuts and brandy). St John mince pies can be enjoyed in the restaurants or taken home – the bakery recommends serving them warm with a thick Jersey cream and a pour of Madeira.

You can always trust Crystal Palace’s Chatsworth Bakehouse to make something instantly desirable and irresistible for the festive season. Alongside its Christmas inspired sell-out sandwiches and pizza slices, this year it is offering up eggnog maritozzi, a fun take on the Italian cream filled buns. The pillowy brioches are filled to the brim with boozy vanilla custard cream and dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Milly Kenny-Ryder is the author of Britain’s Best Bakeries, Second Edition, released by Hoxton Mini Press this month.