Best Easter eggs and hot cross buns revealed in huge supermarket taste test – and it’s good news for bargain hunters

EASTER is about more than just chocolate eggs but figuring out what to pick up may come as a challenge for some. 

Good Housekeeping has revealed the best Easter food for 2024 and there is something for everyone including irresistible dark chocolate and cheesy hot cross buns.

2

The institute tested a total of 162 items across 12 categories to determine which products on the market are worth their price tag.

Categories include vegan and gluten-free options as well as a second budget option for each category.

A panel of lucky tasters and experts rated them in a blind taste test based on appearance, texture, and even smell, along with taste.

Each submission was given a ranking out of 100.

Waitrose stands as one of 2024’s top supermarkets for Easter, performing particularly well in the hot cross bun category.

Asda triumphed in the Easter eggs section falling within the top five across eight different categories.

Callum Black, food and drink testing manager at the Good Housekeeping Institute said: “We’ve been hard at work since December tasting the most innovative and high-quality products on the market to ensure there’s something for everyone this Easter, from mains for every diet to the best sustainably focussed chocolate eggs, and of course, ensuring there’s a best budget buy for every category. “

“In our 100th year of testing, it’s great to see our results capturing consumers’ love of the classics.”

“Our winning products showcase the flavours of Easter: hot cross buns jammed packed with chocolate, affordable roasts, and to top it all off, Cadbury securing the winning spot in milk Easter eggs.

“It’s clear that tradition and nostalgia are top of mind this Easter.”

Here are the winners and runners up in each category…

Best hot cross bun flavour:

• Winner Waitrose Belgian Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, £2.50 for 4, rating: 85/100 
• Runner up: Morrisons The Best Extra Mature Cheddar & Red Leicester Hot Cross Buns, £1.25 for 4, rating: 83/100 

Best Classic hot cross buns:

• Winner: Waitrose Golden Hot Cross Buns, £2.50 for 4, rating: 84/100 
• Runner up: Aldi Specially Selected Hot Cross Buns, £1.35 for 4, rating: 83/100 

Best gluten-free hot cross buns:

• Winner: Co-op Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns, £2.25 for 4, rating: 83/100.

Best budget hot cross bun:

• Winner: Amazon 6 Hot Cross Buns, £1.15 for 6, rating: 75/100 

2

Best milk chocolate Easter egg:

• Winner: Cadbury Ultimate Crunchie Inclusion Egg, £12 for 396g, rating: 85/100 
• Joint runner up: Asda Extra Special Extra Thick Fruit & Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Egg, £8 for 400g, rating: 84/100
• Joint runner up: Quality Street Golden Collection Incredible Egg, £12 for 495g, rating: 84/100  

Best white chocolate Easter egg:

• Winner: Betty’s White Chocolate Flat Easter Egg with Milk Chocolate Lamb, £13.75 for 130g, rating: 85/100 
• Runner Up: Harvey Nichols Honeycomb & Biscuit Blonde Chocolate Easter Egg with Blonde Ganache Truffles, £34 for 300g, rating: 82/100 

Best-value Easter egg

• Winner: Asda Extra Special Extra Thick Raspberry & Marshmallow White Chocolate Egg, £8 for 400g, rating: 81/100 

Best Dark chocolate Easter egg:

• Winner: Asda Extra Special Cocoa Noir Easter Egg, £15 for 350g, rating: 85/100 
• Runner Up: Waitrose Hidden Truffles Dark Chocolate Easter Egg, £12 for 215g, rating: 84/100 

Best budget Easter egg

• Winner: Aldi Specially Selected Dark Ripple Egg with Rich Coffee & Cocoa nibs, £4.99 for 200g, rating: 73/100 

Best Vegan Easter egg:

• Winner: Cutter & Squidge Cookies & Cream Vegan Easter Egg, £22.99 for 500g, rating: 84/100
• Runner up: PlayinChoc ToyChoc Box 6 Rabbits Gift Set, £13.50 for 120g, rating: 83/100 

Best Budget Vegan Easter egg:

• Winner: Asda OMV! Choc Orange & Caramel Crisp Easter Egg, £5 for 160g, rating: 81/100 

Best Easter egg for kids:

• Winner: Waitrose Sam on Toast, £5 for 78g, rating: 79/100 
• Runner Up: Aldi Dairyfine White Chocolate Strawberry Sundae, £8.99 for 250g, rating: 77/100 

Best budget Easter egg for kids

• Winner: Cadbury Freddo Faces Chocolate Egg, £2.50 for 96g, rating: 75/100 

Best budget sustainable Easter egg:

• Winner: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Belgian Chocolate Orange Egg, £8 for 230g, rating: 81/100 
• Runner up: Aldi Specially Selected Belgian Truffle Filled Egg, £9.99 for 250g, rating: 80/100

Most sustainable Easter egg:

• Winner: Tony’s Chocolonely Chunky Egg – Caramel Sea Salt, rating: 78/100 

Good Housekeeping also tested a range of different food centre pieces so you can decide which main would look best on your Easter dinner table. 

Co-op won best meat centre piece with its Co-op Irresistible Hereford Beef Joint at £15 for approximately 1kg. 

While, Tesco Finest Maris Piper Goose Fat Roast Potatoes at £3 for 800g were crowned the best on the market. 

It’s worth noting prices if you’re ordering any of these items online you may need to factor in a delivery charge.

Prices may vary from store to store but you should keep an eye out for bargains closer to Easter Sunday on March 31.

You can use shopping comparison tools such as Google Shopping and Trolley.co.uk to compare the cost of items across different retailers.

We’ve put together a list of the cheapest places to buy Cadbury chocolate Easter eggs. 

If you love Lindt we’ve listed some of the cheapest places to buy Lindt chocolate eggs.

We’ve also tested supermarket mini eggs dupes against the Cadbury originals, find out which supermarket dupe flopped.

If you’re looking for Easter eggs on a budget, Morrisons has slashed the price of its Easter eggs to 75p if you have a More card.

Tesco has slashed the prices of its large Easter eggs and there are more than 20 chocolate eggs to choose from.

Sainsbury’s is offering all Nectard card uses the chance to nab extra large Easter eggs for just £4.

How to save money on your supermarket shop?

There are plenty of other ways to save on your supermarket shop.

Making a list before you head out to do your food shopping is always a good start.

You’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases or be enticed by unwanted offers.

Prices always vary by supermarket and it can pay to change up your shop.

Going own-brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.

That means going for “own” or “value” type products instead of “finest” or “luxury” lines.

Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes as well where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.

For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.

A lot of supermarkets run loyalty schemes, where you can build up points to spend on a later shop.

For example, Sainsbury’s has its Nectar Card and Tesco has its Clubcard.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk