The Queen of Mince Pies: Gill Abbs and Fitzbillies Mince Pies

Behind Fitzbillies award-winning mince pies is a team of bakers producing up to 29,000 pies every Christmas season - but no festive production feat is too much for Head Cake Baker Gill Abbs, 73, who has worked at Fitzbillies since 1971. At 19 years old, Gill walked into Fitzbillies as the first woman to work in the bakery. Her first Christmas task? Making mince pies.

Nervous to impress her all-male team of experienced bakers, she got to work, crafting each mince pie, slowly but dutifully, by hand. When she presented the finished result, even Reg, one of the most skilled (and critical) bakers told her "These are really lovely".

The happiness and success she felt that day propelled Gill to a more than 50 year (and counting) career at Fitzbillies, eventually becoming the Head Cake Baker, and an icon fondly dubbed "The Queen of Mince Pies" to the historic Cambridge bakery. 

Mince pies are still her speciality, though the way Fitzbillies makes them has developed from small, handmade batches, to pasty machines that help bakers make larger quantities (typically up to 2,304 per batch) faster - a requirement in the busy Christmas season when mince pies are in high demand. 

It's no wonder that mince pies are Gill's favourite product and are our best-selling Christmas treat. Each pie features a crumbly shortcrust pastry that surrounds brandy-soaked mincemeat, giving them a flavour and seasonal experience distinct to Fitzbillies. 

Starting in November, about 10 bakers work daily on mince pies in a now seamless process - some filling and others piping, while the rest top and sprinkle them with sugar, before finishing them in the oven. The work is more physically challenging than one might expect due to the lifting and moving it requires. 

Despite the challenges, The Queen of Mince Pies isn't going anywhere this Christmas. Fitzbillies customers can be assured that Gill is baking and overseeing every mince pie that leaves our artisan bakery with just as much skill and pride as she had on her first Christmas all those years ago. 

Mince pies are available to purchase online for local collection and shipping across the UK, and in-store from any of our local Cambridge branches.