BUN-ANZA
I tried wacky flavour hot cross buns including M&S, Tesco & Aldi – the winner blew my socks off & is worth every penny
Flavours range from strawberries and cream to caramel
WITH each year that passes, the flavours in which you can buy a hot cross bun becomes more and more extraordinary.
Fast forward to Easter 2024 and you can get everything from banoffee and Belgian chocolate, to sticky toffee and strawberries and clotted cream.
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These non-traditional concoctions are almost unrecognisable from an original hot cross bun, which should be a yeasted sweet bun filled with various fruits such as currants and raisins.
And whilst the array of flavours might anger purists, it's hard to resist temptation when there are so many in every supermarket.
But do these odd-sounding flavours taste as good as they look?
The Sun's consumer reporter Lynsey Hope tried some of this year's offerings and here she shares her verdict.
Read more taste tests
Tesco Finest Cheddar and Red Leicester
- £1.60
- 40p each
- Per bun: 157 calories, 4.5g fat, 1.5g sugar, 0.54g salt
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These Tesco buns are very cheesy.
I liked them best cold and filled with an extra slice of cheese and chutney.
When toasted, the cheese smell was very strong and overpowering. They smelt like burnt cheese on toast.
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They are much lower in sugar than many of the other flavours on offer so not bad if you want a healthier choice.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Waitrose No 1 Belgian Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
- £2.50
- 62.5p each
- Per bun: 238 calories, 7.2g fat, 12.3g sugar, 0.4g salt
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One for the chocoholics, these Waitrose buns smell just like a cup of rich hot chocolate.
They are buttery, filled with dark chocolate chips and cocoa and whilst sweet, they are very more-ish.
The bun itself has a moist, fudge-like texture. A perfect Easter treat.
Be warned they are high in calories and they were twice the price of Aldi's flavoured buns.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Aldi Specially Selected Banoffee Hot Cross Buns
- £1.25
- 31p each
- Per bun: 197 calories, 2.3g fat, 10.7g sugar, 0.33g salt
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A great price from Aldi for flavoured buns, these are flavoured with banana, butterscotch and caramel.
Little pockets of caramel sauce kept the buns moist and flavoursome.
They were delicious toasted and spread with butter.
A perfect banoffee flavour.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 9/10
- Overall score: 9/10
Asda Extra Special Lemon and White Chocolate
- £1.40
- 35p each
- Per bun: 202 calories, 3.9g fat, 8.4g sugar, 0.35g salt
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I loved these buns from Asda which reminded me of a simple white iced bun.
The lemon flavour was lovely and not too overpowering and the white chocolate flavour was subtle without being too sweet.
I would have enjoyed a few more chunks of chocolate in them, but otherwise a lovely afternoon treat.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
M&S Extremely Caramely Hot Cross Buns
- £2
- 50p each
- Per bun: 172 calories, 3.4g fat, 9.1g sugar, 037g salt
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I have to hand it to M&S, these blew my socks off.
I've long been a fan of their extremely chocolatey buns but decided to try a different flavour this year and these didn't disappoint.
These are intensely sweet and littered with delicious chunks of salted caramel fudge pieces.
Perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth and for those who don't like a traditional bun.
Worth every penny.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Sticky Toffee Hot Cross Buns
- £1.50
- 38p each
- Per bun: 204 calories, 3.2g fat, 12.5g sugar, 0.35g salt
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These buns from Sainsbury's have all the flavours of your favourite sticky toffee dessert.
They are filled with a generous helping of gooey caramel fudge pieces and whilst they sound sweet, this was nicely balanced out with spice.
The bun itself was a little dry and chewy.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Tesco Finest Strawberries and Clotted Cream Hot Cross Buns
- £1.60
- 40p each
- Per bun: 171 calories, 3.1g fat, 6.4g sugar, 0.21g salt
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The smell of these sweet buns from Tesco hits you as soon as you tear open the packet.
They were very pretty with a pink cross and my kids couldn’t wait to devour them.
Personally I found them far too sweet and they were quite pricey compared to others.
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But the dough was nice and they definitely looked pretty as part of an Easter spread.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 6/10
How can I save on my 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.
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