Hot cross buns, the Easter treat traditionally eaten on Good Friday, now appear in shops as early as January. Beyond the classic spiced buns with dried fruit, supermarkets now offer a range of novelty flavours, from red velvet to tiramisu. Purists may object, but TikTok food reviewer Becca Stock suggests viewing them as a separate product category.
To assess the trend, a taste test of 25 non-traditional buns was conducted, toasted and buttered, with M&S’s luxury fruited bun as a control. The results varied widely, from decent chocolate options to disappointing gimmicks.
Waitrose No 1 Belgian chocolate buns (£2 for two) scored 5/10, tasting like a toasted chocolate muffin. Tesco Finest triple chocolate buns (£2 for four) were too sweet and messy, scoring 4/10. Waitrose milk chocolate & fudge buns (£2 for four) were a standout at 7/10, with a proper chocolatey flavour.
Iceland Luxury extremely chocolatey buns (£1.80 for four) were described as “disgusting”, dry and synthetic, scoring 2/10. Lidl Deluxe triple chocolate buns (£1.49 for four) were similar to Tesco’s but earned an extra point for value, scoring 5/10.
M&S red velvet filled buns (£3.50 for four) were deemed style over substance, seemingly designed for social media. Stock noted that retailers increasingly launch wacky flavours to generate online buzz, with M&S even labelling some products “as seen on social”.
