It’s that awkward time of year when Easter eggs and hot cross buns are absolutely everywhere, despite it being several weeks too early.
But the premature arrival of the seasonal treats in supermarkets means you’ve got time to do your research and pick the best of the bunch – which is where the results of a new taste test will come in handy.
The consumer champions at Which? have revealed the winners of a blind test which pitted eight supermarket hot cross buns against each other in a bid to see which ones are worth snapping up.
And according to the results, the winning hot cross bun from M&S is ‘top notch’.
Of the 65 people who tasted each of the buns, 73% picked the M&S Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns as the ‘best buy’.
Priced at £2 for a pack of four they were undoubtedly one of the most expensive options on the list, but shoppers felt they were ‘worth paying more for’ as they are ‘top notch buns’.
The product, which is celebrating its 50th year being sold at M&S, was praised for being ‘fruity and well-spiced’ with the levels of sweetness, spice and amount of fruit ‘spot on’.
Metro’s specialist food writer, Courtney Pochin, put the classic M&S buns to the test and was very impressed, scoring them a 4.5/5.
‘This isn’t just any hot cross bun, it’s an M&S hot cross bun, so it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that these are really good,’ she said.
‘They’ve got a rich, aromatic taste, that’s rather warming. There’s plenty of fruit packed in there as well, and the texture is beautifully soft. This is definitely the one for hot cross bun purists.’
Coming in second place in the Which? taste test was Co-op’s Irresistible Richly Fruited Luxury Hot Cross buns, with a score of 69%.
Also priced at £2 for four, these were described as having an ‘enticing aroma and moist texture’ which consumers loved, with ‘well-balanced flavours’.
But the best value of the bunch was Aldi, who came in joint third place (with Waitrose) after garnering a score of 66%. The bargain retailer’s hot cross buns cost £1.39 for four, making them 35p each and very ‘budget-friendly’.
Taste testers said they weren’t quite as moist as some of the others, with just over 40% of participants finding them ‘too dry’. But the flavour and appearance were well-liked and most people thought he had the right amount of fruit inside.
The final verdict was that they were ‘cheap and cheerful’, and Courtney agreed with the sentiment. She gave the budget ones 4.5/5, saying: ‘There’s a good ratio of fruit inside, the buns are nicely spiced and they look really appetizing.’
Hot cross buns from Waitrose, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco were also featured in the taste test.
Waitrose Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns scored 66%, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns got 65%, Asda’s Exceptional Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns and Tesco Finest Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns both scored 64%, while Morrisons The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross buns came out at 61%.
Lidl’s hot cross buns were not included in the Which? test as they weren’t available at the time of testing.
However, the Lidl Deluxe Luxury Hot Cross Buns are not to be overlooked as they came out trumps in Metro’s taste test in 2024, scoring an impressive 5/5.
If hot cross buns aren’t for you, there’s plenty of fun Easter chocolate that could tempt you in the shops right now, from the viral Waitrose Cracking Pistachio egg and Chocolate Croissant to the loaded eggs at Morrisons.
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