Bakers in Britain are defending their right to come up with and sell creative versions of the mince pie, a traditional British Christmas sweet treat made with dried fruit and pastry. "Some of the English classics can be, not completely transformed, but made better and made more current," says Maya Manwaring owner of Maya's Bakehouse, while preparing her individually handmade versions of Guinness-soaked fruit mix in rye pastry, topped with frangipane and flaked almonds. However, 200-year-old London baker Dunn's says it prefers to stick with tradition. "I think if your mince pie is good enough, you don't need to come up with gimmicks to make people want to buy it," says sixth-generation baker Lewis Freeman. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES