Top 8 hot cross buns to enjoy with a cup of creamy coffee on Easter Sunday

We decided to fit this hot cross bun survey in time for Good Friday. Pictures: Chani Anderson

One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns’, the old nursery rhyme goes. They cost a little more than a few pennies these days, but hot cross buns are still pretty good value for a treat.

Having seen so many on the shelves this year, we decided to fit this survey in time for Good Friday. They also make handy freezer food, which is good toasted any time. They will make a nice breakfast with a large cup of creamy coffee on Easter Sunday. On a day I forgot to buy bread, I filled one with ham and cheese as an emergency sandwich, which was delicious. Try a sausage, too.

Hot cross buns make a good bread and butter pudding. Add some extra fruit if you fancy, steeped in some form of alcohol for extra flavour and plumpness. Darina Allen’s bread and butter pudding recipe works well.

Stale hot cross buns can also be blitzed and turned into fruity breadcrumbs for chicken, turkey, and lamb. Toast them and sprinkle over fried lamb’s liver or a pork chop. The crumbs are also good flicked on vanilla ice-cream while they are still warm.

Very fruity hot buns are best lightly toasted, if at all, as the fruit burns easily. Warm them in the oven or air-fryer at 180C for three minutes.

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Dunnes Stores Simply Better 360g €3.50

The generous fruit content amounts to 31.5% and is soaked in tea. Only pure sugar is used here (not various cheaper syrups), with a good crumb and rapeseed oil (commendably no palm). Mild spicing. Tasty buns. Best choice for all.

Score: 9.5

M&S Extremely Lemony 252g €4

M&S

From the best selection of supermarkets, tasters couldn’t give their very top mark for each one. 

One taster described the lemon curd flavour as having a ‘superb bomb of lemon’ in the centre. The Extremely Chocolatey (€3) appealed most to another, while the extra fruity appealed to traditionalists. One younger taster took to the Mini Millionaire’s version (€3). There’s also a gluten-free one (€4) - chewy and slightly bland.

Score: 9

SuperValu 180g €2.50

We tried another supermarket’s own-brand buns and found these four from O’Leary’s, Tower the best. Plenty of good, plump fruit in quite a substantial crumb had gentle spicing. Not one to toast, but warm gently.

Score: 9

Tesco Finest Extra Fruity 320g €2.50

Tesco

A decent amount of fruit (30%) is soaked in orange juice, with mild mixed spices, rapeseed oil, and palm oil. One taster’s favourite, who thought them almost perfect.

Score: 8.5

Aldi Specially Selected Luxurious hot cross buns 300g €1.99

Aldi

Four buns have an impressive 39% fruit, rapeseed oil, and palm oil, with light spicing. A long list of ingredients delivers an unnatural, claggy mouthfeel, but the amount of fruit saves them. Best warmed, not toasted.

Score: 6.75

Brackens Bakery Hot cross buns €1.50 each

Brackens Bakery 

We hit the right moment for these buns, as they were just out of the oven. They are made there every day (except Sundays) from 7.30am to 5pm (8am-2pm Saturdays). The texture was of a natural, enriched bread, as it should be. It was lighter on fruit than most, which pleased a few tasters, especially when we tried them toasted. There was no spicing. The sweet glaze was appetising. From the bakery at Mallow Road, Cork.

Score: 8.75

Aldi Grainne’s 260g €1.09

Aldi

Wheat flour and soya four (often included for a springy texture), along with rice flour, give it a dry texture and taste. Glucose fructose syrup is quite sweet, slightly offset by the lemon peel. Palm fat, too, which we prefer not to see, but the mild spicing was pleasant. 25% sultanas is a fair amount, but tasters didn’t approve of enough for a favourite. Made in Ireland.

Score: 6

Lidl Connell Bakery 280g €1.09

Lidl

26% fruit soaked in orange juice is good. Palm fat and oil, soya flour, and wheat flour make for a heavy texture. Lightly dry, said one taster. You get what you pay for.

Score: 6.75