With Easter approaching, there are some of delicious treats appearing on the shelves of supermarkets which us Brits love to enjoy at this time of year - and hot cross buns most definitely fall into that category.
Sweet, spicy and delicious, these delicacies are wolfed down in there millions each year. And that is no exaggeration - Marks & Spencer alone sold 48 million of them last year. That is roughly one for every adult in the UK, from just one supermarket.
There are also more and more new flavours appearing, from salted caramel to chocolate orange, or banoffee to date, pecan and coffee. But, for the purposes of this review - carried out by BirminghamLive - we have stuck with normal buns from M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi and Asda.
Sainsbury’s
I was already hit by the strong smell of fruit as I tried my toasty bun. There was definitely elements of flavour here but not particularly strong - it felt more like a plain bun at parts.
A bit on the bland side, there wasn’t enough filling of fruit and spices for me. An okay start but I was hoping for better.
3.5/5
Asda
Just like Sainsburys’, Asda’s toasted bun smelt lovely as I went in for a second bun. A perfect balance of sweet and spice.
It’s not too overpowering but it certainly isn’t boring either. It walks a fine line of balance to create a satisfying bun.
4/5
Aldi
After two attempts of toasting led to this bun disintegrating, I had to switch to the oven for Aldi’s bun. A bit of a nuisance considering the other buns were able to keep their shape.
Taste wise, the less said the better. Asda had the winning formula of both sweet and spice, but Aldi’s recipe was just plain boring.
Not one that I'm in a rush to try again.
2/5
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M&S
Described as a luxury hot cross bun, M&S had the most expensive buns out of the lot. Whilst it had the same familiarity that Asda had in terms of taste, there was one factor which earnt the bun a higher score.
The bun was able to maintain its flavour for a longer period of time than anticipated, capping off every bite with an enjoyable aftertaste. A fantastic hot cross bun.
4.5/5
Tesco
The last on the list was another ‘luxury’ hot cross bun. And once again, a high score was earned.
I couldn’t really choose between this or Asda, both tasted so similar with the fruit and spice content. Ultimately, I just had to give both the same score by the end of the review.
4/5
Overall
Overall, M&S came out on top, narrowly beating Tesco and Asda. I would recommend all three, whether you’re a hot cross bun veteran or trying for the first time, you’re spoilt for choice with those supermarket options.
Sainsbury’s and Aldi end up with less than favourable scores but it’s just an honest opinion. You might find the Aldi one to be the best, please be sure to let me know in the comments what your favourite supermarket hot cross bun is.
