A Tale of Three Tables: Greek, Mediterranean & British Festive Baking Traditions

Where heritage meets the warmth of café culture.

Every December, London begins to glow. Fairy lights appear in windows, cafés fill with the hum of conversation, and baristas pull their shots just a little slower, as if savouring the shift in the air.

It’s the time of year when baking becomes more than food, it becomes comfort, history, ritual, and celebration.

At Simple Bakes, our festive world is shaped by two homes: the warm, sunlit flavours of the Mediterranean and the cosy, wintry traditions of the UK. Our bakes sit where these stories meet, on coffee shop counters, in gift boxes, and across Christmas tables shared by families, friends and faithful café regulars.

This is the tale of three festive tables, woven together with spice, citrus, honey, and memories.

The British Christmas Table: Spices, Comfort & Tradition

Festive mince pies, classic, no-alcohol, savoury and Mediterranean-inspired, handcrafted to bring warmth, spice and seasonal joy to every coffee moment.

Walk into any British home or coffee shop during the season and you’ll find the classics, and for good reason. British festive baking carries centuries of tradition shaped by winter, warmth, and an extraordinary love of dried fruits and spice.

Mince Pies

Once savoury; now sweet little parcels of festive joy. Filled with fruits, spices and (for some) a splash of spirit, these bakes are the heartbeat of the British December. In cafés, they pair effortlessly with a flat white or a hot chocolate for the perfect “just one more” treat.

A joyful collection of our handcrafted Christmas bakes, rich, spiced, fruit-filled favourites made to brighten café counters and winter celebrations alike.

Christmas Cake

Rich with fruits, almonds and spices, fed slowly with brandy and wrapped in a thick jacket of icing and marzipan. It’s nostalgic, indulgent, and a symbol of patience and celebration.

Christmas Pudding

Dense, aromatic, flame-ready, an iconic finale to Christmas Day. Its deep flavours make it a natural match for espresso-based drinks, lattes and winter-inspired coffees.

For British cafés, these bakes deliver what the season craves: familiarity with a sense of ceremony.

The Greek Festive Table: Honey, Nuts & Sunshine in Winter

Honey-soaked, walnut-topped melomakarona, a warm Greek Christmas classic, handcrafted for festive moments that feel like home.

While Britain leans into the comforting darkness of winter flavours, Greek Christmas traditions shine bright with citrus, nuts, honey and warm spices, the flavours of sunshine preserved for cold days.

Melomakarona

Soft, spiced, orange-scented biscuits soaked in warm honey syrup and finished with ground walnuts. They bring a sweetness that feels ancient, loved, and endlessly comforting. Perfect with filter coffee or a lightly spiced tea.

Snowy, buttery kourabiedes, melt-in-the-mouth almond biscuits that bring true Greek festive magic to every bite.

Kourabiedes

Buttery almond shortbreads dusted in clouds of icing sugar. They melt, they crumble, they linger, and they carry the same celebratory spirit as the first snowfall.

Vasilopita (Greek New Year Cake)

A tender, aromatic cake enjoyed on New Year’s Day, sliced ceremoniously to reveal a hidden coin. Whoever finds it receives a blessing of luck for the year. In cafés, it’s a January showstopper, simple, fragrant and full of storytelling charm.

Vasilopita, the New Year’s cake that brings luck, sweetness and tradition to the table, complete with its hidden lucky coin.

Baklava, Kantaifi, Karydopita & Festive Pies

Layers of filo, toasted nuts, syrup and winter citrus inspire a Mediterranean take on festive indulgence, offering cafés something rich, elegant and beautifully different.

The Wider Mediterranean Table: Citrus, Almonds & Fragrant Spices

Across the Mediterranean, festive baking leans toward warmth:orange zest, almonds, pistachios, dates, figs, rose water, cinnamon. These flavours bring a gentle brightness to winter and pair effortlessly with specialty coffee.

Coffee shops love them because:

• They stand out visually

• They offer dairy-free / plant-forward options naturally

• They echo the flavours customers already love, orange, nuts, spice, honey

This is why we draw so much inspiration from them at Simple Bakes: they uplift festive counters while staying familiar enough for every palate.

Where the Traditions Meet: A Festive Blend for Coffee Shops

Our baklava: crisp filo, roasted nuts and aromatic syrup layered into pure Mediterranean indulgence.

London’s café scene is where cultures meet over coffee, and festive baking is no exception.

This is the space where Simple Bakes feels most at home.

We combine:

✨ the richness and spice of British classics

✨ the brightness and warmth of Greek baking

✨ the fragrant creativity of Mediterranean ingredients

The result is a collection of Gluten-free and Vegan bakes, designed for modern coffee shops:

• Mini Christmas Loaf Cakes with brandy, fruits and marzipan

• Classic & Creative Mince Pies (including alcohol-free options)

• Rum-soaked Christmas Pudding Bars with marzipan decoration

• Spiced Kahlúa & Rose Water Traybake

• Marzipan Blondies with orange-soaked fruits

• Melomakarona, Kourabiedes, Baklava, Vasilopita & more

Every bake is crafted in small batches, baked to order, and delivered fresh, designed to lift counters and increase seasonal sales naturally.

New Year’s Rituals: Luck, Gatherings & Sweet Beginnings

Greek New Year revolves around Vasilopita, a cake with a hidden coin, sliced at midnight.

British New Year leans toward celebrations, leftover mince pies, and shared warmth.

Across the Mediterranean, sweets mark renewal, hope, prosperity.

For coffee shops, January is a fresh chapter too. Offering Vasilopita, citrus cake, or walnut desserts invites customers to keep celebrating long after the decorations come down.

Why These Traditions Belong in Coffee Shops

Our mini Christmas loaf cake, fruit-packed, delicately spiced and finished with icing and marzipan for the perfect festive treat.

Because festive bakes aren’t just food, they’re emotion. They slow us down, invite conversations, spark nostalgia and curiosity.

In a London coffee shop:

• a mince pie becomes a moment of calm

• a melomakarono becomes a conversation starter

• a slice of Vasilopita becomes a small story shared between barista and customer

• a baklava square becomes an unexpected, delightful pairing with espresso

These are the experiences that build loyalty, and that’s the heart of what we bake for.

How Simple Bakes Supports Coffee Shops

Our spiced Christmas traybake, fragrant, nutty and beautifully festive, finished with marzipan details for a slice of pure seasonal comfort.

We don’t just deliver bakes, we support the full café experience.

✔ Every product on our website includes coffee & tea pairing notes

✔ We offer gluten-free and vegan festive options thoughtfully developed

✔ We bake to order for peak freshness

✔ We help cafés create displays that sell more

✔ We craft recipes that feel both traditional and modern

Our festive collection is more than a menu, it’s a story your customers taste.

A Season of Shared Sweetness

Whether your café leans toward British nostalgia, Mediterranean brightness, or a blend of both, festive baking is a chance to offer more than treats. It’s a chance to offer connection, between cultures, between customers and baristas, between tradition and modern craft.

At Simple Bakes, we’re honoured to bring these stories to your counter, one handcrafted slice at a time.

Our marzipan and chocolate blondie, rich, fudgy, and festive, filled with orange-soaked fruits and topped with elegant marzipan decoration.