We love a good Christmas sarnie but this is the time of year where anything goes, and not just between two slices of bread. Every Christmas, London restaurants and foodies go all out to make the best festive specials they can, so we’ve rounded our faves of the season so far.
Bun House’s Christmas Tree Buns
Bun House love doing a seasonal spesh so of course they weren’t going to let Christmas go by without getting involved. Their Christmas tree buns are layered with different fillings, including ginger bread caramel, dark chocolate orange cream & white chocolate chestnut cream, and you can get them as single buns or a twin tree set.
Available for pre-order from 26th November with collection at Bun House on 11th & 15th December 2021
Chick ‘n’ Sours’ Christmas Dinner
After not being able to make a festive burger last year, the Chick ‘n’ Sours crew have come out swinging for 2021.Their version of a Christmas dinner includes a fried thigh topped with kewpie mayo, iceberg lettuce, redcurrant hoi sin sauce, smoky pink kraut and pigs in blankets. Prepare to get messy.
Available at Chick ‘n’ Sours from 1st – 31st December 2021
Lords of Poké‘s Christmas Special Bowl
Christmas and poké aren’t two things you’d think to put together but Lords of Poké have done it, adding a festive twist to the Cali-style dish with a rice stuffing base topped with turkey katsu, pickled red cabbage, edamame, carrot, miso roasted brussels, cranberry ponzu, crispy kale & bacon. Yes way poké.
Available at Lords of Poké throughout December 2021
Arros QD’s Turkey Paella
How do you make a paella Christmassy? Whack a turkey on it obvs. And that’s exactly what the team at Arros QD have done, popping a whole bird on top their signature rice, studded with brussel sprouts and redcurrants, with the meat carved tableside for extra drama. You can get it as a sharing showstopper to feed 6-8 people (which comes in at £275 and requires a pre-order), or you can get smaller versions to share between two and four on the a la carte menu.
Available at Arros QD throughout December 2021
MEATliquor’s Santa’s Little Gobbler
MEATliquor have brought Santa’s Little Gobbler back for another festive season. The star of their XXXmas menu features fried turkey, sprout slaw, red eye mayo and cranberry hot sauce stuffed into a bun.
Available at MEATliquor throughout December 2021
Gunpowder’s Mince Pie Doughnuts
The mince pie doughnut is BACK at Gunpowder this Christmas. Combining two of our fave desserts, the doughnuts are stuffed with crème patisserie, rolled in cinnamon sugar, topped with a spoonful of homemade mincemeat and flakes of gold leaf, because it’s just not Christmas without a bit of sparkle.
Available at Gunpowder throughout December 2021
Yard Sale Pizza x Off Menu’s Dream Christmas Pizza
For their festive special this year, Yard Sale Pizza have drafted in Ed Gamble and James Acaster, the hosts of the Off Menu podcast to create their own dream Christmas pizza. The classic Yard Sale base is topped with pigs in blankets, brussel sprouts, crispy sage and cranberry & chilli jam, and there’s also a nut roast version with vegan cheese so plant-based peeps can get in on the action. £1 from every festive pizza sold will be donated to FareShare, so there’s even more reason to get it on order.
Available at Yard Sale Pizza from 1st December 2021 – 4th January 2022
The Breakfast Club’s Turkey Waffle Dinner
How do you do a Christmas dinner Breakfast Club style? Pile it all on waffle obvs. You’ve got buttermilk fried turkey, pigs in blankets, roast sprouts, pecans and sage on top of a goose fat potato waffle, doused in gravy. Merry bloody Christmas.
Available at The Breakfast Club from 29th November – 24th December 2021
Mince Pie Bao Puddings at BAO
The BAO team has put a Taiwanese spin on the mince pie with this mince pie bao pudding – the fluffy bun is filled with a spiced mince pie mix, pineapple and brandy, and served with a hot vanilla custard. And if you’re more of a savoury person, there’s also the Christmas BAO with veal stuffing, pickled sprouts, cranberry sauce and gravy to pour over the top.
Available at BAO from 29th November 2021
Butchies’ Sweet Baby Cheesus Burger
Sweet baby cheesus this festive burger from fried chicken kings Butchies looks GOOD. It’s their signature fried chicken topped with deep fried brie, cranberry sauce and house-made hot chilli honey, and you can get it in Shoreditch, Fulham, Clapham, Victoria and on Deliveroo. Cluck yeah.
Available at Butchies from 16th November – 31st December 2021
Hackney Gelato’s Mince Pie Ice Cream
Hackney Gelato is proving it’s never too cold for ice cream with this festive flavour. This tub is packed with homemade shortcrust pastry, raisins, spices and a big splash of Pedro Ximenez sherry.
Available on Ocado
Love Triangle’s Christmas Quacker
We’re partial to a good pun and so is South London pizza spot Love Triangle, which is slinging out the Christmas Quacker – that’s roast duck, orange, spiced sprouts, mozzarella & tomato – this festive season. What’s more, for every pizza the shop sells, they donate a meal to Wandsworth Food Bank, so there’s even more reason to order.
Available at Love Triangle throughout December 2021
The King’s Ginger x Pophams Mince Pies
Mince pies are getting extra boozy this year thanks to these collab ones from The King’s Ginger and Pophams. The ginger and lemon-based liqueur, first made for King Edward VII, is a proper winter warmer and the Pophams team have used it to steep the mincemeat in before stuffing it inside their beautifully laminated pastry.
Available at Pophams Hackney and Islington throughout December 2021
Pastaio’s Brussel Sprout Gnocchi
If you think you don’t like sprouts, wait til you get a load of this gnocchi with sprouts, pancetta and hazelnuts at Pastaio. And that’s not the only festive pasta they’re doing either with a goose,duck & turkey ragu with papardelle on the menu too. Pair with the mulled wine slushie for the full Christmas experience.
Available at the Soho & Westfield branches of Pastaio throughout November & December
Honest’s Christmas Burger
How do you make a burger Christmassy? Whack in a load of cranberry sauce and a massive wodge of deep-fried camembert of course. Honest Burgers has also nestled some smoked bacon in there along with rocket, because you need to eat your greens. And there’s a vegan version with a plant-based burger, THIS Isn’t Bacon, double Applewood vegan cheese, shoestring fries, cranberry sauce and rocket.
Available at Honest Burgers from 30th November – 24th December 2021
The Princess of Shoreditch’s Christmas Pudding Soufflé
If you think you don’t like Christmas pudding, this dessert from Ruth Hansom at The Princess of Shoreditch might just convert you….a Christmas pudding soufflé with cranberry sorbet. Yes please.
Available at The Princess of Shoreditch until 24th December 2021
Marugame Udon’s Tempura Brussel Sprouts
Marugame Udon is known for its fresh, steaming bowls of noods but this festive season they’re putting a Japanese twist on an iconic British veg with their tempura brussel spouts. If that doesn’t get you eating the veg, we don’t know what will. Finish things off with a trip to the ice cream machine for their seasonal vegan gingerbread soft serve.
Available at Marugame Udon from 23rd November 2021 – 4th January 2022
Crosstown’s Mulled Wine & Cointreau Custard Doughnuts
Nothing makes you feel festive quite like a mulled wine and that’s exactly what Crosstown is channelling with their latest limited edition doughnut. The black cocoa sourdough doughnut is filled with an oat milk Cointreau custard, dipped in a mulled wine glaze and topped with candied orange and gold dust, and it’s completely vegan too.
Available at Crosstown throughout November and December
Patty & Bun’s Cheesus Was Born Burger
Never ones to miss out on a pun, Patty & Bun is celebrating Christmas with the Cheesus Was Born burger – an aged HG Walter beef patty topped with Ogleshield and Edam cheeses, beef brisket, bone marrow butter, aioli and pickles. Bring on that beef.
Available at Patty & Bun from 1st December 2021
Ole & Steen’s Mince Pie Festival Bun
Sure regular mince pies are good but mince pie festival buns are better and that’s exactly what Ole & Steen have made for this year. This baby, combines the traditional Danish pastry known as a Fastelavnsbolle (a bun studded with candied peel) sandwiched with a mince pie cream and topped with chocolate icing, chocolate curls and a golden mince pie meringue kiss from Meringue Girls.
Available at Ole & Steen throughout November and December 2021
Tommi’s Christmas Burger
As well as serving up a festive burger – turkey topped with brie, green peppercorn mayo, braised red cabbage, cranberry & rocket – Tommi’s Burger Joint is turning into an Icelandic festive lodge with free mulled wine and the chance to see the Northern Lights with a screening from Akureyri on Iceland’s north coast.
Available at Tommi’s Burger Joint from 1st – 24th December 2021
Pizza Pilgrims’ Terry’s Chocolate Orange Calzone
What do you get when you cross a pizza with one of our fave festive choccies? The Terry’s Chocolate Orange Calzone at Pizza Pilgrims, served with vanilla ice cream. Mamma mia.
Available at Pizza Pilgrims throughout December 2021
Buns From Home’s Terry’s Chocolate Orange Buns
Terry’s Chocolate Orange, the unofficial chocolate of Christmas, gets another twist courtesy of Notting Hill bakery Buns From Home, where it’s been spun into a sticky bun and topped with extra orange and a chocolate truffle. Order a box of six, eat the lot.
Available for nationwide delivery from Buns From Home throughout December 2021
Leon’s Turkey Christmassaman Curry
Normally we don’t go in for a turkey curry until after the big day – gotta use up those leftovers somehow – but Leon’s Turkey Christmassaman curry is worth going in for early. With turkey, roast potatoes, roast carrots, coconut milk, galangal, cardamom, ginger, lemongrass and crispy onions, it’s a real winter warmer.
Avaialble at Leon throughout November and December 2021
