THE OLD saying goes “one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns'”.
But these days there’s fat chance of bagging a bun for 1p, let alone two.
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On the upside, you won’t have to wait until Good Friday for your hot cross bun fix.
The bakery aisles are already stacked full of them, from traditional varieties to flavoured ones such as strawberry and clotted cream.
The cheapest on offer come in at around 31p each. But do they taste any good?
Lynsey Hope tested a selection of traditional, own brand buns. Here, she reveals her favourites:
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Waitrose No 1 Golden Hot Cross Buns
- £2.50
- 62.5p each
- Per bun: 204 calories, 2g fat, 15.7g sugar, 0.31g salt
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These from Waitrose are a top choice if you like a classic hot cross bun.
They had a light, fluffy, brioche like texture and generous amounts of dried fruit including chunks of orange peel.
Very zesty and sweet, these will make a delicious Easter treat served hot with butter.
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It’s worth noting however, they are the most expensive in our test at 62.5p per bun.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 9/10
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Morrisons The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
- £1.25
- 31.1p each
- Per bun: 223 calories, 3.4g fat, 14.3g sugar, 0.4g salt
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Morrisons sweet treats had lots of fruit and they were sweet with nice spice notes.
But they were quite hard and tasted a bit stale.
These might be ok if you pop them in the toaster but definitely don’t try these cold.
They are a great price though, and cheaper than Lidl in fact. But are higher in calories than most.
It’s a shame they don’t stack up on flavour.
- Taste: 5/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 5/10
M&S Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns
- £2.10
- 52.5p each
- Per bun: 220 calories, 3.1g fat, 19.3g sugar, 0.29g salt
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M&S ‘ have lots of fruit, which was juicy and tasty and perhaps explain the very high sugar content.
The bun was sweet and sticky but a little lacking in spice.
They had a chewy texture compared to most, though I did quite like this.
Towards the higher end of the price bracket, but some of the cheaper options were better.
- Taste: 7/10
- Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Lidl Luxury Hot Cross Buns
- £1.35
- 33.7p each
- Per bun: 209 calories, 3.9g fat, 16g sugar, 0.43g salt
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A great price point from Lidl, but they were a bit disappointing.
They were a little dry and there wasn’t enough fruit.
The dough itself was thick and dense. I preferred the lighter, fluffier varieties.
The word ‘luxury’ was a bit of a stretch.
- Taste: 4/10
- Value: 5/10
- Value: 4/10
Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns
- £1.25
- 31.2p each
- Per bun: 206 calories, 3.3g fat, 14g sugar, 0.61g salt
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These buns from Aldi were bursting with flavour and had lots of soft, juicy fruit inside.
I loved the hint of cinnamon and vanilla, the soft fluffy texture of the buns and the generous helping of fruit dispersed throughout.
The buns were shiny and the dough was soft and perfectly baked.
These are cheapest on offer too so I’ll be stocking up between now and Easter.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
Tesco Finest Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
- £1.60
- 40p each
- Per bun: 206 calories, 2g fat, 16.3g sugar, 0.38g salt
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Tesco‘s buns were squishy, plump buns with a strong flavour of cinnamon.
They have an appealing, shiny appearance and an enticing aroma.
I couldn’t wait to tuck in and was happy to find them full of plump, juicy raisins.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns
- £1.50
- 38p each
- Per bun: 189 calories, 2.2g fat, 14.8g sugar, 0.32g salt
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Sainsbury’s buns are middle of the road. These were just ok.
The spice flavour was nice and the cloves really came through.
But they were perhaps a little dry, slightly bland and not the most fruity.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 6/10
- Taste: 6/10
Asda Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
- £1.40
- 35p each
- Per bun: 232 calories, 2.8g fat, 20g sugar, 0.23g salt
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These Asda treats were fruitiest of all the buns. They also had a nice level of spice and the bun was soft and well baked.
They were slightly chewier than others but not in a bad way.
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They were definitely more bun than cake. A great choice for traditionalists.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes 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.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
