M&S beats Aldi, Asda and Tesco in blind taste test on Easter favourite

While Marks and Spencer topped the rankings for a second year running, a more affordable retailer wasn’t far behind in a Which? taste test of a popular The hot snack from M&S was deemed a while another was labelled a “tasty, cheaper alternative” after eight supermarket options, ranging from to Aldi and Sainsbury’s, were tested by 65 consumers.

Each taster was placed in a private tasting booth to prevent any discussions before ranking each product on its flavour, aroma, appearance and texture in the ultimate supermarket hot cross bun showdown. Whether enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack, or to satisfy late-night cravings, the Express has pulled together the Which? 2025 consumer ranking for the ultimate Easter staple.

At £2 for a four-pack, the luxury fruited hot cross buns were the joint most expensive on test, but with an overall score of 73 percent, the majority of tasters loved the sweetness, spice levels and amount of fruit, and nearly three-quarters were impressed with the moist texture. It was deemed the Which? Best Buy.

Equally as expensive as M&S, Co-op’s irresistible richly fruited luxury hot cross buns fared slightly lower on rankings with 69 percent, but tasters loved the enticing aroma, spice and moist texture. They were also some of the best rated for sweetness, despite being slightly lower in sugar content compared to most other supermarket options.

Costing £1.39 for a four-pack, specially selected luxury fruited hot cross buns scored 66 percent, and earned the Which? Great Value recommendation, as the “tasty, cheaper alternative”. Testers liked the flavour and amount of fruit, however, just over 40% found them too dry.

At 49p per bun, richly fruited hot cross buns finished in joint third place overall with Aldi at 66 percent. Most Which? tasters were satisfied with the amount of fruit and soft texture, although half found the spice flavour lacking.

Most other supermarkets ranked similarly and cost around the same, but some tasters noted they were too dry, while others liked the fruit and spice.

fruity hot cross buns rated 65% overall with a good amount of fruit, but more than a third found them lacking in spice and sweetness.

Most liked the moist texture of Asda Exceptional extra fruity hot cross buns, which scored 64%, but half found the spice flavour too weak.

Finest extra fruity hot cross buns scored a solid 64%, but nearly half thought they were too dry.

Meanwhile Morrisons’ Best extra fruity hot cross buns scored lowest overall at 61%, as half thought the spice flavour was too weak and 45% said they were too dry.

The price and availability is correct as of 7 March 2025.