Patisserie Valerie
44 Old Compton Street, W1 (020 7437 3466, www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk) 
The rigours of Christmas shopping must be faced up to, but there comes the moment when a sit down for a mince pie and a pot of tea is crucial  by way of recuperation. At Patisserie Valerie the mince pies are £1.85 each and pot of tea is £2.60. As we approach Christmas it gets busier and busier but service is crisp.

The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly, W1 (020 7499 6996, www.thewolseley.com)
The Wolseley is a bit of a wild card as it specialises in a very decent “all-in” afternoon tea. The full sandwiches-cakes-scones tea costs £19.75, a simpler cream tea (very good scones and impressive jam) is £9.75. It qualifies as a mince pie pit stop because in season each “tea” is followed by a complimentary plate of mince pies that you can take home with you.

Betty Blythe
73 Blythe Road, W14 (020 7602 1177, www.bettyblythe.co.uk)
Betty Blythe is hard to categorise — part bakery, part tearoom, part stylista haunt and all in W14! The mince pies are home-made using a recipe found in Granny's journal and a pot of the special Christmas blend tea is £2.20.

Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Café
Sloane Street, SW1 (020 7235 5000, www.harveynichols.com)
The Fifth Floor Café is a very practical establishment, just the place to pause and ponder when you have pillaged the food hall and the wine shop. Two mince pies and a tea or a coffee costs just £5.50 — something of a bargain.

Grocer on Elgin
The 6 Elgin Crescent, W11 (020 7221 3844, www.thegroceron.com)
The Grocer on Elgin is a rather stylish traiteur and there are a good many useful kitchen shortcuts to stock up on. The mince pies are hand-made in its own bakery and cost £1 each, while the tea will set you back £2 a pot.
Charles Campion