Easter is almost upon us, which means there is a ton of sweets and treats lined up on supermarket shelves to indulge in.
From the standard chocolate Easter Eggs to the fan-favourite Mini Eggs and Creme Eggs, there is usually a lot more chocolatey goodness for you to snap up and treat yourself with.
While all that chocolate is definitely a treat, there is one Easter essential that I consider an absolute must - a hot cross bun.
Those fluffy buns of goodness are packed with all the flavours and textures that I love, from the juicy and plump fruit to the spicy notes of orange and cinnamon.
I mean, I know they may only be a simple bun, but they are packed full of so much flavour that it's hard not to be impressed by them.
Not to mention, they are extremely versatile.
Toast them, butter them, pop on some jam or just eat them straight from the packet - there are so many ways these delicious buns can be eaten.
Of course, like so many other products these days, there is a variety of supermarkets selling their own versions as they line up the shelves with them in the run up to Easter.
Quite frankly, I would eat them all if I could, but I will admit that I do have my standards for what can be classed as a good hot cross bun, which is why I decided to see which supermarket has the best offering.
For me, the a good bun should be sweet, spicy and fluffy, and I won't accept anything else. These are the standards I have had for a long time and I won't be changing them.
So, with that in mind, I visited Sainsbury's, Tesco, M&S and Morrisons to see how their own Easter baked goods stacked up against one another.
What hot cross buns were tasted?
There is arguably more and more options for those looking for hot cross buns these days, which arguably made the selection that bit greater.
Nowadays, you can get everything from toffee and banana all the way to chocolatey versions.
Granted, I love the sound of all of them, but to keep it fair, I stuck with the good old fashioned fruit hot cross buns that are pretty much the OG hot cross bun.
These were the hot cross buns sampled from each supermarket:
- M&S 4 Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns - £1.65
- Sainsbury's Taste The Difference 4 Fruity Hot Cross Buns - £1.25
- Tesco Finest 4 Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns - £1.50
- Morrisons Bakers 4 Hot Cross Buns - 69p
M&S
It's the retailer that is synonymous with excellent quality, which is why I began this taste test with really high standards by testing out M&S' luxury fruited hot cross buns.
They were also the dearest of the bunch at £1.65, so I was expecting good things here.
And, I am glad to tell you that M&S manage to pull it out of the bag for me.
As soon as I took my first bite I was met with a soft doughy texture and the right balance of sweet and spicy flavours from the cinnamon and citrus.
There's quite a lot of juicy fruit that has been packed into the dough, meaning you get bursts of flavour from the sultanas and Vositizza currants - which, I must say adds to the texture.
One very small nitpick that I had - and it's probably a personal thing - but, M&S' buns had a lot more glaze on them, meaning that they were just slightly stickier than all the other offerings.
Aside from the glaze, this was a solid hot cross bun and I was off to a good start.
Sainsbury's
Next up on the list was fruity hot cross buns from Sainsbury's premium Taste The Difference range - and what a good choice this was.
The supermarkets buns lived up to exactly what I consider to be a good hot cross bun - doughy texture, plump and juicy fruit and a nice combo of sweet and spicy flavours.
At just £1.25, they were 40p cheaper than M&S and - quite frankly - they just beat them in terms of the quality and taste.
For starters, they were made with sourdough giving them that plump and pillow-like texture that I was looking for.
In terms of taste, I was met with a moist and buttery sponge and there was a decent amount of juicy fruit in there to give that extra 'oomph' to the bun.
The also win by the fact that they 'pre-soak' their raisins and vine fruits which has just added to the depth of flavour without ever being to overpowering.
Honestly, a solid all-round win for me with this one.
Tesco
On to a brand that has become popular among households for focusing on value over quality, as Tesco provided us with contender number three.
I don't tend to shop much in Tesco, so I'm going into this with literally zero expectations on what the quality will be like - which, I guess is a good thing.
At £1.50 for a pack of four, they were just dearer than our last offering from Sainsbury's.
As a whole, this is a decent and warming hot cross bun from the moment that you take a bite.
The dough is plump and soft, and the fruit gives really nice notes of citrus aromas that work well with the spiced dough.
However, one thing I will say, is that the flavour was not as powerful as the previous two offerings - although, it was still a nice flavour.
I did find that the dough did not have the same depth of spice that both M&S and Sainsbury's offered and it was just a lighter taste, that may be a preference for a lot of people.
For me, I like the flavour to pack a punch, as I am a huge fan of anything cinnamon and citrus.
Apart from that one very small nitpick, it's actually a good bun and I still demolished it.
Morrisons
Ending the test was one of my usual go-to supermarkets Morrisons and if you're wondering if there will be a stumble in this test yet, you've come across it.
I will say that the only hot cross bun available from Morrisons was in their bakers section, so I do appreciate that all the other options have been from supermarkets premium ranges.
So, by default, this may not be Morrisons fault.
However, at 69p for a pack of four they are arguably the best bargain out of the lot of them, which is always a good thing right now.
That being said, the overall taste and bun itself just left a lot more to my imagination than I would have liked - especially when all the others have been great contenders so far.
Personally, it wasn't so much the bun and the dough, but the flavour that really let this one down.
The bun had the spicy aroma that I associate with them, but once I took a bite it was like eating just a load of roll.
There were no hints of the cinnamon citrus that I initially could smell, which was really just bizarre and I found that I wouldn't want to eat a full one of these.
However, I will admit that the juicy fruit made up for the lacking spice, but it still wasn't enough to make me want to purchase these ones again.
The verdict
If you're looking for the perfect hot cross bun that mixes those perfect sweet and spicy flavours, then Sainsbury's is arguably the best supermarket with their Taste The Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns.
Even better, at the second cheapest of the bunch, they deliver both on taste and money, which is good for those of us who are looking to be a bit more price conscious.
Between great price and a beautiful taste, they were they solid winner.
M&S gave good competition - even if they were a tad pricier - but they continue to prove that they will continue to provide good quality, so the extra price is worth it in my humble opinion.
Tesco's lightly spiced hot cross buns were also delightful, albeit just a tad lacking for my tastes, but still provided a plump and flavourful bun.
The only one that I wouldn't purchase again would be Morrisons and, again, I am unsure if this is because there were no other brands in stock that day, but their bakery version didn't live up to my expectations or its competitors.
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