Food Influencer's Comprehensive Hot Cross Bun Taste Test
A prominent UK food influencer has conducted an extensive taste test of hot cross buns from seven major supermarket chains, delivering surprising verdicts just ahead of the Easter season. Rachel Last, known online as 'Rach is hungry', put products from Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi, and Morrisons through rigorous evaluation, with one particular supermarket's offering leaving her genuinely astonished.
The Testing Methodology and Background
The 26-year-old food content creator, who boasts nearly 2,000 followers on TikTok and previously gained viral attention with supermarket cookie reviews attracting 330,000 views, approached this seasonal challenge with particular expertise. As a regular Sainsbury's shopper, Rachel brought both consumer experience and critical tasting skills to her comprehensive assessment of these traditional Easter baked goods.
Supermarket Rankings and Detailed Scores
Marks and Spencer claimed the top position with an impressive score of 8.5 out of 10. Rachel purchased a pack of four for £2.65 and praised the product's excellent texture, abundant fruit content, and superior flavour profile. She specifically noted that the M&S offering contained all the essential characteristics of a quality hot cross bun, declaring it simply "the best" among the tested products.
Tesco secured second place with a solid seven out of 10 rating. The food vlogger was particularly impressed with the value proposition, as Tesco offered six buns for £1.50 - the same price Sainsbury's charged for just four. Rachel highlighted the Tesco buns' exceptional moistness, generous fruit distribution, and overall pleasant flavour, noting they could be enjoyed without toasting and still deliver satisfaction.
The Most Surprising Performer
Lidl emerged as the unexpected standout, earning a 6.5 rating that genuinely surprised the influencer. Priced at £1.49 for four buns, Rachel admitted she had initially expected similar quality to Aldi, given the supermarkets' comparable market positioning. However, she found the Lidl offering delivered pleasantly surprising texture and a decent amount of fruit, exceeding her expectations for the price point.
Disappointing Performances from Major Retailers
Waitrose delivered perhaps the most disappointing result, scoring a mere five out of 10 despite its premium reputation and £2 price tag for four buns. Rachel expressed particular disappointment given Waitrose's established image for quality, criticizing the product as "pretty dry" with insufficient flavour that didn't justify the higher cost.
Sainsbury's, Rachel's regular supermarket, earned just six out of 10 despite her loyalty as a customer. The £1.50 pack of four failed to match Tesco's fruit content or overall flavour quality, leading the influencer to remark on the interesting revelation that her go-to supermarket didn't produce one of the better offerings.
Bottom Rankings and Final Verdicts
Aldi and Morrisons shared the lowest scores at 4.5 each, with both products thoroughly underwhelming the taste tester. Aldi's £1.69 pack of four was criticized as "really quite dry" with minimal fruit content, while Morrisons' £1.50 pack of six lacked any glaze and tasted predominantly of plain bread without distinctive flavour characteristics.
Rachel concluded her comprehensive review with clear recommendations, stating she would "probably avoid" both the Aldi and Morrisons offerings while praising the value and quality of Tesco's product and the overall excellence of Marks and Spencer's traditional hot cross buns.
