6th November 2023
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It’s that time of year again. I have bravely ventured where no woman has ventured before*, and tried not 16 but 18 Hot Cross Buns. This year, I forced Marketing Officer Chloe to trek to Lytham Booths, filled my parents’ freezer with the HCBs I couldn’t take to uni, and even found Hot Cross Bun earrings.
*Someone may have done this before. If that’s you, do get in touch.
My number one rule was that could not repeat any of the 16 buns I rated last year. A lot of those options are still on the market, and I would recommend checking some of last year’s highly rated buns out if you still can.
All the prices shown are for the buns at their RRP, and unless stated they are for a pack of 4. I did manage to get the majority on promotions or yellow stickers, so you may be able to snap up a bargain too.
Without further ado, here are the ratings…
Price: £2.55
Quality: 3/5
Creativity: 4/5
Taste: 0/5
Overall: 1/5
Now, I had such high hopes for Booths. I drove two hours away to Lytham under the pretence that I was taking Chloe to the seaside for her birthday, when in reality it was a Hot Cross Bun recon mission.
These apple and fudge HCBs are not just the worst Hot Cross Buns I have ever tried, but they’re quite possibly the worst thing I’ve ever bought from a shop. Mine tasted of fermented apple before their expiry date, and the fudge was nowhere to be seen. They were so horrible I didn’t get a picture of one before giving them away.
Price: £3.50
Quality: 2/5
Creativity: 3.5/5
Taste: 1/5
Overall: 1.5/5
This is from the world of ‘Hot Cross Buns you eat like a donut and don’t toast’ but fails catastrophically. It can be done if you have a very light dough and fairly liquid centre. Instead, Tesco has but forward an ultra stodgy bun and an exceptionally thick spoonful of biscoff spread. It’s genuinely hard to eat as it is so thick, and £3.50 a pack is completely unjustified.
Price: £2.50 for 2
Quality: 4/5
Creativity: 1/5
Taste: 1/5
Overall: 1.5/5
As Hozier once sang, you are TOO sweet for me. Unsurprisingly for a woman who spends the first three months of her year exclusively eating Hot Cross Buns for breakfast, I do have a sweet tooth. However, this was a level of sickly that you do not need that early in the morning. These were impossible to eat without a cup of tea or coffee, and once again not worth a premium price tag.
Price: £2.00
Quality: 2.5/5
Creativity: 3.5/5
Taste: 1.5/5
Overall 2/5
Co Op forgot a key ingredient when making these buns: flavour. I’ve had white rolls with more taste to them. This is Co Op’s only entry this year as I couldn’t get any of the other flavours advertised on their website at Liverpool’s Co Ops.
Price: £2
Quality: 3/5
Creativity: 4/5
Taste: 1/5
Overall: 2/5
Last year, I had an issue with how artificial the Tesco buns tasted, and they’ve done it again this year. The strawberry taste is too artificial for me, but when you do get a chunk of chocolate or strawberry it’s not unpleasant.
Price: £3.00
Quality: 3/5
Creativity: 2/5
Taste: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5
My Dad absolutely hates ginger, and even he confirmed that there is no ginger flavour detectable here. It it’s also quite difficult to pick out the Rhubarb because it also has raisins mixed into the dough.
Price: £1.25
Quality: 3/5
Creativity: 2/5
Taste: 2/5
Overall: 2.5/5
No that’s not a mistake, I have put two lots of Rhubarb Hot Cross Buns next to each other. I couldn’t really separate them, other than the sweetness from the white chocolate in this one. They’re also fine, and at less than half the price of the Sainsbury’s ones definitely much better value for money.
Price: £1.77
Quality: 3/5
Creativity: 1/5
Taste: 3.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5
The first but of redemption for ASDA after the disappointment of 2025’s offerings. These were a nice, middle of the road bun. Nothing special, but for £1.77 you can’t go wrong.
Price: £3.00
Quality: 4/5
Creativity: 5/5
Taste: 2/5
Overall: 3/5
These are just a ‘Hot Cross Bun’. There is nothing noticeable about the carrot, other than maybe a slightly different spicing. I liked them, they were great quality, but to make these ‘Carrot Cake’ there needs to be a more distinct flavour profile.
Price: £2.25 for 2
Quality: 3.5/5
Creativity: 4/5
Taste: 2/5
Overall: 3/5
What’s that? Another Hot Cross Bun that just tastes of Hot Cross Bun? These are a tad nicer than the Carrot Cake offering from Sainsbury’s, but yet again they don’t bring anything new to the table in terms of flavour. I think this one was a real wasted opportunity.
Price: £2.50
Quality: 4/5
Creativity: 2.5/5
Taste: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Now, I did like these but the coffee flavour was exceptionally strong. This was a nice after dinner snack, but a little bit full on first thing in the morning. They were also very readily available, which was a pleasant surprise after M&S’s stock issues last year.
Price: £0.90
Quality: 2/5
Creativity: 2/5
Taste: 4/5
Overall: 3/5
While these aren’t the tastiest buns on the market, in terms of value for money you really can’t beat them. For 22.5p per bun, the Nutella-adjecent flavour is nice and they haven’t scrimped out on chocolate.
Price: £2.00
Quality: 4/5
Creativity: 2.5/5
Taste: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
A lot of Hot Cross Buns claim that they contain fudge pieces, but trying to actually find them in the bun is like searching for the holy grail. At last, Waitrose has managed to do what so many shops have failed to achieve. The promised ‘fudge pockets’ are delicious, but coupled with all of the melting chocolate chips, this makes for an incredibly messy eat which has kept it from hitting the top 5.
Price: £1.77
Quality: 3/5
Creativity: 3.5/5
Taste: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
There are a lot of Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns on the market this year, and these are a very nice example of them. There’s a distinct cherry and almond flavour which is nice, and £1.77 is a good price point.
Price: £2.55
Quality: 5/5
Creativity: 3.5/5
Taste: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Now, after their earlier disappointment, Booths have pulled it back with this very tasty HCB. The big chunks of stem ginger are really tasty, and the dark chocolate is very generous. These buns were also very generously sized in comparison to some others.
Price: £2.50
Quality: 5/5
Creativity: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
If you like a regular Hot Cross Bun, this is a perfectly elevated version of them. The seeds are a really nice addition to an excellent quality Hot Cross Bun. The choice of fruit also works really well to make a simple but perfect HCB.
Price: £3.00
Quality: 4/5
Creativity: 3/5
Taste: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
Pretty much every supermarket has a chocolate HCB on offer, but adding cherries to them takes the bun to another level. These are a really nice bun that work for breakfast or after dinner.
Price: £3.00
Quality: 4/5
Creativity: 3/5
Taste: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
For the second year running, M&S takes the Hot Cross Bun crown. While the £3.00 price tag is hefty, these buns are true luxury. They’re proof that the donut/HCB concept can work. The white chocolate goo in the middle is a nice counter to a soft but bitter bun. The dark chocolate chips finish off the whole bun nicely to create a balanced and not overly sweet breakfast or snack.
So, M&S reigns supreme for the second year in a row. Without a doubt they are the big innovators of the Hot Cross Bun world, but Waitrose is nipping at their heels. The biggest disappointment this year was Tesco, who seem to be incapable of making a HCB with flavour, and the best redemption goes to ASDA who have come leaps and bounds after last year.
Now, I go into hibernation until January, when everyone’s favourite seasonal treat will once again grace the shelves of Britain’s supermarkets. Will I hit the magic 20 next year? Until then, Happy Easter, Chag Pesach Sameach, and have a great 4-day weekend!
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