Bakeries across London are creating new versions of a British Christmas classic—the mince pie. But some traditional bakers prefer to stick to the old ways.
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00:00A classic treat with a fresh crunch.
00:08It is the season for mince pies in the UK.
00:11A festive snack with centuries of history.
00:14But all across the wintry streets of London,
00:16bakers are putting their own spin on this Christmas classic.
00:21I would describe this as a fun pastry version of a mince pie.
00:26Usually cooked in a short crust pastry,
00:28this bakery uses croissants to house the traditional spiced fruit filling.
00:33I do think it's key to respect the original product,
00:37which is why I think this one is so popular,
00:40because you still get that classic mince pie element.
00:46And some customers are embracing the change.
00:50A little bit more buttery, less traditional, but it's quite unique.
00:56From Islington to Notting Hill,
00:58bakeries across London are experimenting with ways to modernise the good old mince pie.
01:04But others prefer to keep things traditional.
01:08If you're going to do some English traditional things,
01:10like a hot cross bun or a mince pie,
01:13you should keep it classic and just slightly vary it
01:17to make it how you would like to eat it.
01:19And after over 200 years in the business,
01:22Dunn's Bakery has barely strayed from the original recipe.
01:26I think if your mince pie is good enough,
01:29you don't need to come up with gimmicks to make people want to buy it.
01:33But recipes have evolved over the years.
01:36This is a 17th century mince pie recipe.
01:39The word meat used to mean food in general,
01:42and mince pies used to contain minced veal.
01:45But over time, most recipes dropped the meat in favour of more fruit,
01:50though many modern day recipes do still contain animal fat.
01:54Historians say it's natural for food culture to develop.
01:58The veal in particular, and also the lamb,
02:01are quite shocking to a modern audience.
02:03And I think that perhaps in 400 years,
02:07the salted caramel will be just as shocking to an audience of the future.
02:11I think just food changes over time, right?
02:14And that's one of the things that's great about food culture,
02:16especially in a city like London.
02:20For consumers, both old and new versions remain popular,
02:24with the mince pie still a staple in bakeries and homes
02:27throughout the British Christmas season,
02:29whatever form it takes.
02:31Klein Wong and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.