‘truly Vile’: The Uk’s 25 Best (and Worst) Novelty Hot Cross Buns – Tested!

Hot transverse buns, nan Easter dainty traditionally eaten connected Good Friday, now look successful our shops arsenic early arsenic January. And it’s not conscionable nan spiced ones packed pinch dried consequence that you’ll find connected supermarket shelves: it seems that immoderate enriched-dough creation tin beryllium described arsenic a basking transverse bun, truthful agelong arsenic a flour transverse has been slapped connected top.

Step into a Marks & Spencer nutrient hallway and you will beryllium greeted pinch displays afloat of garish pinkish “red velvet” basking transverse buns, while Tesco has much than 10 varieties disposable this year, arsenic good arsenic a tear-and-share brioche. Purists whitethorn move up their noses, but Becca Stock, who reviews nutrient connected TikTok and Instagram arsenic @beccaeatseverything, says that, to bask a non-traditional bun, you person to position it arsenic a abstracted product. “For me, they beryllium successful different categories,” she says.

Although I travel from a family of basking transverse bun lovers, enjoying them hot, acold and arsenic a conveyance for cheddar cheese, I person ne'er ventured into nan world of novelty flavours. Have I been missing out? To reply that question, beloved reader, I tried 25 non-traditional buns (toasted and buttered, of course). My control, a accepted basking transverse bun connected nan side, was M&S’s luxury fruited basking transverse bun, named “best splurge” by nan Filter past year.

Chocolate

Waitrose No 1 Belgian cocoa basking transverse buns, £2 for two
All nan awesome supermarkets connection immoderate benignant of chocolate-based basking transverse bun. Clearly, group for illustration them: successful its yearly supermarket sensation test, nan Australian user defense group Choice awarded 1 of its highest ever scores to a cocoa bun.

I was disappointed to find that astir of these eschew dried consequence successful favour of cocoa chips – cocoa and raisins are a awesome combination, arsenic acold arsenic I’m concerned. But cocoa basking transverse buns are designed for group who don’t for illustration dried fruit, says Charles Banks, nan managing head of nan nutrient trends agency thefoodpeople. His children emotion nan cocoa ones, whereas he prefers a accepted bun, truthful he buys both. “From a retailer’s constituent of view, that’s an accrued weight of purchase,” he says. Also, immoderate purist outrage only creates publicity, he points out.

These buns are connected nan pricier side, but they are large, pinch a much sophisticated, dark-chocolate flavour than immoderate of nan cheaper versions. It tastes almost precisely arsenic if I’ve toasted and buttered a cocoa muffin, but that’s not a unspeakable thing. 5/10

Tesco Finest triple cocoa basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Beware: if you for illustration your toaster, do not bargain these buns. They are jam-packed pinch cocoa chips, which create a sticky messiness erstwhile they melt. They are besides measurement excessively saccharine for maine and, again, I miss nan accepted flavours – cinnamon and allspice tin beryllium delicious pinch chocolate. Including them would make this consciousness much for illustration a riff connected a basking transverse bun alternatively than an unrelated product. 4/10

Waitrose beverage cocoa & fudge basking transverse buns, £2 for four
These were Stock’s favourite erstwhile she tested novelty buns and I tin spot why. They sensation decently chocolatey alternatively than conscionable having a cocoa-powder flavour. While I can’t sensation nan fudge, nan bun had a delicate, milky sweetness. At 50p a bun, nan value is bang mean for a supermarket offering. If I were going to bargain cocoa basking transverse buns again, I would astir apt take these. 7/10

Iceland Luxury highly chocolatey basking transverse buns, £1.80 for four
Do not beryllium fooled by nan “luxury” branding: these buns are disgusting. They are dry, hardly holding their style arsenic they were cut, and nan cocoa flavour has a synthetic quality. 2/10

Lidl Deluxe triple cocoa basking transverse buns, £1.49 for four
Once again, these are fundamentally cocoa muffins successful disguise. They are akin to nan Tesco Finest ones erstwhile it comes to stickiness and sweetness. I don’t emotion them, but I’ve fixed them an other constituent for worth – they were nan third-cheapest buns I tried. 5/10

M&S reddish velvet filled basking transverse buns, £3.50 for four
I was afloat expecting these to beryllium style complete constituent – Stock agrees that they look to person been made pinch societal media successful mind. In nan 3 years since she has been reviewing basking transverse buns, “every twelvemonth they travel retired pinch bigger and wackier flavours”, she says. Shops want to create items that mightiness get talked astir online – M&S puts “as seen connected social” labels connected immoderate products – and zhooshing up existing products pinch flavours that are celebrated connected societal media (such arsenic reddish velvet, which is fundamentally a cocoa sponge dyed reddish and topped pinch pick food icing) is progressively common.

These buns whitethorn beryllium TikTok bait, but they sensation rather nice. The cocoa flavour is subtle and obscurity adjacent arsenic saccharine aliases artificial-tasting arsenic nan gaudy exterior suggests. They are nan only buns present advertised arsenic being filled, which translated arsenic a mini blob of pick food icing successful each bun. Since I toast and food mine, I tin hardly sensation this. It feels a spot stingy, particularly fixed that these buns are much costly than most. 5/10

Sainsbury’s Taste nan Difference double cocoa & cherry basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Finally, nan consequence and cocoa operation I’ve been hoping for! Sadly, nan consequence successful mobility is sweetened cherries and cranberries, meaning that nan overwhelming flavour of this bun is sugar. These buns were apparently made pinch a sourdough starter, but immoderate fermented flavour is drowned retired by nan sickliness. 3/10

Tesco Finest salted caramel & Belgian cocoa basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Like almost each supermarket salted caramel product, this is not salty enough. It’s besides not caramelly enough, aliases chocolatey enough, aliases thing enough, really. It’s not horrible, but “inoffensive” is astir apt nan champion I tin say. 4/10

Worst!
M&S tiramisu basking transverse buns, £2.90 for four
The cleanable encapsulation of what Banks calls nan “dessertification” of nutrient and portion – deliberation cheesecake-flavoured matcha lattes aliases viral recipes for pudding-flavoured meal oats. If these buns tasted of tiramisu, I would beryllium impressed. In reality, they are barren and bitter, pinch a flavour reminiscent of inexpensive instant coffee. Truly vile. 1/10

Lemon

Waitrose achromatic cocoa & citrus basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Citrus zest is typically recovered successful accepted basking transverse buns, truthful dialling up that constituent feels logical. As pinch nan cocoa buns, however, spices and dried consequence thin to beryllium near retired of citrus-forward varieties.

In this case, they person been replaced pinch achromatic chocolate, which I can’t taste. The citrus flavour is besides reasonably mild, which I’m pleased about, since I often find it excessively strong. But if you’re personification who likes citrus flavours – presumably nan target marketplace of this bun – you whitethorn beryllium disappointed. 3/10

Asda Exceptional citrus & achromatic cocoa basking transverse buns, £1.77 for four
The aforesaid conception arsenic Waitrose’s, but executed better. Although nan achromatic cocoa contented is only marginally higher (14% alternatively than 12%), nan flavour comes done a batch much and nan full point feels creamier and much indulgent. Like astir of these novelty buns, they are excessively sweet. 4/10

Morrisons The Best citrus drizzle basking transverse buns, £1.80 for four
These person kept nan accustomed raisins and sultanas, making them fundamentally extra-lemony basking transverse buns. The “drizzle” successful nan sanction is misleading – location is nary glaze aliases immoderate different motion to nan classical cake. 5/10

Cheese

M&S highly cheesy cheddar and reddish leicester basking transverse buns, £2.90 for four
By this constituent successful nan sensation test, I’m becoming uncomfortably afloat and frankly my scores tin nary longer beryllium trusted – but astatine slightest I’m getting a break from each nan sweetness. I emotion a portion of food connected a regular basking transverse bun, but nan deficiency of consequence successful this 1 intends that it tastes much for illustration a food scone. It’s perfectly pleasant, though, and holds its style good erstwhile sliced and toasted. 6/10

Tesco Finest cheddar & reddish leicester basking transverse buns, £2 for four
The aforesaid cheeses harvester successful these plump and enticing buns, but they person a doughy centre and only a faintly cheesy flavour. If you were doing a unsighted tasting, you could beryllium forgiven for mistaking this for a plain roll. 4/10

Aldi Mighty cheesy basking transverse buns, 85p for four
These were nan cheapest buns I tried, but moreover nan debased value wouldn’t tempt maine to bargain them again. Mighty is Aldi’s own-brand yeast-extract dispersed and I for illustration food and Marmite arsenic a combination, truthful I had precocious hopes. However, nan yeast extract flavour doesn’t travel done and nan small, barren buns are dominated by a beardown artificial-cheese flavour. 3/10

Berries

Asda Exceptional cherry bakewell basking transverse buns, £1.77 for four
It’s almost freaky really overmuch these sensation for illustration shop-bought cherry bakewell tart. It’s not a flavour I scope for, but if you do, you’ll emotion these. 5/10

Tesco Finest strawberries & clotted pick basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Like nan buns I tested that travel successful packs of two, these are larger than nan mean basking transverse bun. The first wound is almost unbearably saccharine – for illustration nan worst strawberry jam ever. As I chew, nan creaminess kicks in, which helps to equilibrium nan sweetness. 3/10

Waitrose No 1 berry blush basking transverse buns, £2 for two
Not arsenic synthetic-tasting arsenic Tesco’s, but nevertheless nan flavour is much berry sweets than existent berries. Also, they are really, really sticky. 4/10

Apple

Waitrose pome and cinnamon basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Apple goes good pinch nan accepted basking transverse bun’s cinnamon and sultanas. These plump, aureate brownish buns are a notch sweeter than a classical bun, but they springiness maine nan warming deed of herb I’m after. 6/10

Sainsbury’s Taste nan Difference pome & cinnamon basking transverse buns, £2 for four
Scrawnier and little flavoursome than their Waitrose counterparts, these are perfectly bully pome and cinnamon buns. They clasp their style good successful nan toaster. 5/10

Joint best!
M&S granny smith pome basking transverse buns, £2.90 for four
These are beautifully made basking transverse buns, afloat of spices and sultanas, but jazzed up pinch generous chunks of tangy greenish apple. Absolutely delicious. 9/10

Morrisons The Best pome & cinnamon basking transverse buns, £1.80 for four
If you want an pome and cinnamon basking transverse bun, do not take these. I tin only presume “The Best” is simply a joke. I hardly observe immoderate cinnamon and nan pome has a perfume-like flavour. Yuck. 2/10

And nan rest

Aldi Specially Selected rhubarb & custard basking transverse buns, £1.19 for four
These buns are connected nan smaller broadside and person an unappetising luminous-yellow colour. The colour is little fierce erstwhile nan buns are toasted, though, and they clasp their pleasing roundness. The rhubarb pieces, while location could beryllium much of them, are delicious. I don’t deliberation nan achromatic cocoa chunks are necessary, since nan buns are already sweet, but this is overmuch tastier than I expected. 7/10

Joint best!
Tesco Finest brownish food and chai beverage basking transverse buns, £2.25 for two
This operation really useful – it’s a due riff connected a basking transverse bun alternatively than a complete reimagining. The spices successful a accepted masala chai are akin to nan ones that spell into a basking transverse bun. As Banks says: “It’s everything that a basking transverse bun is, but dialled up.” The infusion of achromatic beverage intends it’s much bitter than a classical bun, which I really like, but whitethorn put disconnected sweeter-toothed people. It’s a touch dry, but thing a generous slather of food can’t solve. 9/10

Waitrose St Clements basking transverse buns, £2 for four
One of nan amended known variations of basking transverse bun, heavier connected nan citrus than a classic. I really bask this, but mostly because it tastes for illustration a accepted basking transverse bun, which I can’t thief reasoning is unbeatable. 8/10

Prices meticulous arsenic of 18 March 2026