Seasonal treats are something of a food foe for me - mince pies, pumpkin spiced lattes and now, hot cross buns.
I’m a firm believer that, if they were any good, they’d be sold all year round.
But, I kind of want to like hot cross buns, in the same way that I wished I liked coffee and mayonnaise. Everyone else seems to enjoy it, and I get a bit of ‘fear of missing out’ over it.
My main issue with hot cross buns is the sultanas. I feel like they ruin everything - including the Cadbury’s chocolate they released for Easter.
So I’ve searched the supermarket shelves for the best ‘alternative’ hot cross buns in fun flavours that are ideal for people who, like me, despise the fruity bakes in their original form.
Some were definitely better than others - with one being the perfect accompaniment to a big bowl of tomato soup. Here’s what I discovered:
Aldi
Aldi’s unconventional hot cross buns are a four pack of specially selected salted caramel and chocolate buns, priced at a respectable £1.19.
I had some similar from M&S a few years previously, and had been searching for something similar for a while, so I was really pleased I found these.
They were quite a dark bake, sticky with salted caramel fudge - but they toasted really well and tasted delicious with a little bit of butter.
They’re really sweet, and I couldn’t have eaten more than one, but that’s all you need, right?
Aldi are also stocking chilli and cheese hot cross buns for 99p, for the savoury fans among us, as well as Bramley apple and cinnamon, for the sweeter toothed.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s have a great selection of hot cross buns online, including free from, extra fruity and chocolate orange - but when I went in store, the shelves were pretty bare.
I was hoping to find their triple chocolate hot cross buns, or cheddar and caramelised onion variety, but could only find their triple berry choice.
Priced at £1.29, the pack of four hot cross buns is made with sultanas and dried sweetened cranberries, blueberries and lingonberries.
Personally, the sultanas made them taste too similar to a regular hot cross bun - but the cranberry addition was quite nice.
Though these definitely weren’t my favourite.
M&S
M&S offered much more variety on the shelves - including a Marmite and cheese combo.
I really struggled to decide, so ended up coming home with their extremely cheesy cheddar and red Leicester hot cross buns and the extremely chocolatey hot cross buns.
The chocolate ones are £1.65 for a pack of four and are made with dark, milk and white chocolate pieces and cocoa powder.
M&S say it’s best served toasted with a layer of butter, so that’s exactly what I did.
These were such a delight and felt more like a dessert than a breakfast snack - but who wouldn’t love that?
But it was the extremely cheesy variety that totally stole my heart.
Made with extra mature Barber's Farmhouse cheddar and ‘smooth’ red Leicester, it was like a softer, chewier bread roll that’s perfect for dunking in tomato soup.
I’ll be honest, there were arguments over who was allowed the last one in our house, as they were very much the favourite, and the first to be eaten.
Tesco
Tesco’s hot cross bun offering came in the form of four apple and cinnamon hot cross buns, but I was gutted to discover they still contained sultanas.
They smelled like Christmas, which is unusual for an Easter treat, and the taste was okay, but just not to my preferences.
Tesco’s hot cross buns are £1.50, or £1 for Clubcard holders, with other options including blueberry hot cross buns, and like many other supermarkets have launched - salted caramel hot cross buns.
Asda
Asda came through with their four Belgian blonde chocolate hot cross buns, which are two for £2.
These were really light yet still satisfied my sweet tooth with the chocolate pieces that melted in the toaster.
These were probably my second favourite behind the M&S extremely cheesy ones. Which were followed by Aldi’s salted caramel hot cross buns, triple chocolate from M&S, with the Tesco and Sainsbury’s options being avoided by the whole family.
They weren’t for me, but I’m sure someone out there will enjoy them
