Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, but as soon as they’re on sale, I often find they’ve just hopped into my shopping basket. 

They bring back childhood memories of tea cakes toasted over a coal fire in winter.

The main difference between a Yorkshire tea cake and hot cross bun is the cross which is simply made from a paste of flour and water.

Although hot cross buns are now made with chocolate, toffee and fudge, I’m too much of a traditionalist to experiment. I decided to indulge myself in the name of research to find my favourite from a couple of supermarket brands and bakery buns.

I originally ate the buns cold, slathered in butter and then toasted the following day, eaten again with copious amounts of butter.

Lidl - Six for 69p (although four luxury buns were 99p) - 161 calories.
These buns, made by Rowan Hill Bakery, were nicely glazed with a good concentration of fruit, said to be “juicy orange soaked sultanas and raisins”. These buns had the best flavour: both spicy and aromatic, especially when toasted.

Tesco - 6 for £1.37 - 187 calories.
Tesco buns, when halved revealed the most amount of fruit evenly spread. The fruit was plump and moist and the spices aromatic. A very delicious bun both cold and hot.

Percy Ingle - 3 for 99p.
These were the largest of the buns, well shaped and sold loose. They had no sticky glaze which made them easier to handle.  Although they had the second best amount of fruit, they lacked the spicy flavour I love.

Greggs - 4 for £1.
I was surprised to read on the label that these buns were “Good Housekeeping Institute approved 2014”.  Despite claims of “orange flavoured but with candid peel, juicy vine fruits and unique mix of spices” they had the least flavour and the bun was pretty dry and tasteless.  It also had the least amount of fruit which was unevenly spread. When toasted, this bun improved.

Verdict: the bakers’ buns were disappointing and it was difficult to choose between Tesco and Lidl.  However, taking into account value for money, the Lidl buns would win hands down on the basis they’re literally half the price of Tesco.

By the way, I haven’t yet managed to eat all my buns: the rest are languishing in my freezer ready for weekend breakfasts and teas.