Easter is a great time for a wide variety of sweet treats to make their way onto supermarket shelves, with one of the classics being hot cross buns.

Whilst many may prefer Easter eggs and other various chocolate concoctions that are released for this time of year, I prefer the spiced and fruity hot cross bun.

It is a relatively humble treat that has demonstrated a fair bit of experimentation over the years, with supermarkets creating a number of distinct flavours.

However, I was keen to just try the original creation and to see how they stacked up across different supermarkets.

We Are Sunderland: The hot cross buns were consistently good across the supermarketsThe hot cross buns were consistently good across the supermarkets (Image: Newsquest)

I purchased regular hot cross buns from Asda, Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons to see which one was the best.

For each bun I toasted it and spread a little bit of margarine on it before tasting.

Taste-testing Asda, Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons hot cross buns

Sainsbury's 

We Are Sunderland: The Sainsbury's hot cross buns were the most expensive of the ones testedThe Sainsbury's hot cross buns were the most expensive of the ones tested (Image: Newsquest)

Price: £1.40 for six

I started off the taste test with Sainsbury's, which was marginally the most expensive at £1.40 for a pack of six.

Thankfully, the price was justified as there was a good level of fruit distribution and a very pleasant taste to go with it.

Asda

We Are Sunderland: Asda's hot cross buns were quite puffed upAsda's hot cross buns were quite puffed up (Image: Newsquest)

Price: £1.30 for six

Next up was Asda's 'Sweet and Spiced' hot cross buns which were puffed up and of a very good size.

Like the Sainsbuty's hot cross buns, they had a delightful taste plus the bonus of a good level of fruit distribution to come highly recommended.

Morrisons

We Are Sunderland: Morrisons' hot cross buns were quite stickyMorrisons' hot cross buns were quite sticky (Image: Newsquest)

Price: £1.20 for six

What was noticeable about Morrisons' hot cross buns was that they were very sticky to touch meaning I had to wash my hands after putting them in the toaster.

Also, they were a bit crumbly after being toasted for a brief while but like the others, it didn't disappoint on the taste.

Aldi

We Are Sunderland: Aldi's hot cross buns were the joint cheapestAldi's hot cross buns were the joint cheapest (Image: Newsquest)

Price: 99p for six

Aldi's hot cross buns were the joint cheapest of the five I tested along with Tesco, but they were also noticeably smaller than the others.

Again though they had a delicious mellow taste and a nice distribution of fruit through the bun.

Tesco

We Are Sunderland: Tesco's hot cross buns were of a good sizeTesco's hot cross buns were of a good size (Image: Newsquest)

Price: 99p for six

Tesco was the final supermarket tested with and despite being the joint cheapest had very large buns to offer.

They were also a bit sticky to touch but that didn't cause concern as like the others they tasted divine.

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The verdict

This was a tough choice for sure. Usually when conducting taste tests across different supermarkets a couple stand out quite clearly as being better than the rest.

However, in what was a pleasant surprise, all the options I tried were of good quality and held up to scrutiny.

Basically, whatever supermarket you choose you are bound to have a decent hot cross bun.

For the sake of picking a winner, I eventually decided to go for Asda's Sweet and Spiced Hot Cross Buns due to their great taste and good size.

Whilst they were on the more expensive end of the hot cross buns tested I would still argue it's fair price to pay.