M&S' hot cross buns top Good Housekeeping's annual Easter taste test
M&S’ hot cross buns top Good Housekeeping’s annual Easter taste test – while £3 ASDA egg is crowned the best budget buy for children
- M&S’ £1.85 Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns were crowned this year’s best
- Meanwhile, Abel & Cole and Cutter & Squidge have best chocolate eggs on offer
- Read more: Would you spread banoffee pie on your pancakes?
M&S’ hot cross buns have won first place in Good Housekeeping’s annual Easter taste test, beating Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Iceland to the top spot.
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested 166 products from a selection of brands and grocers to unveil the best Easter eggs, hot cross buns and meat, seafood and centre pieces ahead of Easter Sunday.
When it comes to buns, M&S reigned supreme, winning both in the traditional category as well as the gluten-free one, and rating runner up in the flavoured buns category as well.
Cutter & Squidge’s £21.99 Billionaire Filled Easter Egg, and Abel & Cole’s £12.95 Cocoa Loco Marbled Chocolate Egg, jointly received the title of best milk chocolate Easter egg.
Meanwhile, Waitrose’s Whole Chicken With Garlic And Herbs got the coveted title of best roast, while Lidl was crowned the best budget option.
Good Housekeeping Institute tested 166 products from a selection of brands and grocers as part of their annual tradition which aims to unveil the best Easter eggs, hot cross buns and meat, seafood and centre pieces ahead of Easter Sunday. M&S impressed the panel with the ‘near perfect’ texture of their Luxury Fruited Hot Cross buns, which scored 86 out 100, the highest score on the list
Each of the product was shortlisted by an expert panel and then blind tested by a consumer panel to avoid brand bias.
Testers based their rating on the items’ appearance, aroma, texture and their flavour.
The Institute tested 36 hot cross buns in total, including 12 traditional, 18 flavoured, and gluten-free offerings.
M&S impressed the panel with the ‘near perfect’ texture of their Luxury Fruited Hot Cross buns, which scored 86 out 100, the highest score on the list.
They particularly loved the buns’ fluffy and lightly crispy glazed tops and the flavoursome vine fruit.
Iceland’s buns, which cost £1 for a pack of four, came in second place, and also ranked highest for the best budget buy.
Their rich spiced flavour, which the panel likened to German Christmas cookies, earned the Iceland offer a score of 80/100.
Sainsbury’s took home the title for best flavoured hot cross buns with its £1.65 Taste the Difference Lemon Curd & White Chocolate hot cross buns, scoring 83 out of 100.
Meanwhile, M&S’s £2 Banoffee Hot Cross Buns came second in this category, winning praise for its chewy toffee chunks and pronounced banana flavour.
Lidl’s £1.19 Apple & Cinnamon hot cross buns were the top budget buy, scoring 74 out of 100.
M&S also topped the gluten-free bakes selection, with their £2.50 Gluten Free Fruited Hot Cross Buns, while Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free From Caramel and Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, which cost £2.50 for a pack of four, came in in second place with a score of 72 out of 100.
Who’s selling the tastiest hot cross buns this Easter?
Lidl Apple & Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns, left, which costs £1.19 for a pack of four, won the Best budget flavoured hot cross bun. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free From Caramel and Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, costing £2.50, were the runner up for the gluten-free hot cross buns category
Hot cross buns
Number tested: 36 total (12 traditional, 18 flavoured, 6 gluten-free)
Best traditional hot cross bun
M&S Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns, £1.85 for 4pk
Score: 86/100
Runner-up AND best budget traditional hot cross bun
Iceland Hot Cross Buns, £1 for 4pk
Score: 80/100
Best flavoured hot cross buns
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Lemon Curd & White Chocolate, £1.65 for 4pk
Score: 83/100
Iceland’s Luxury hot cross buns were the runner-up for best traditional buns, and the winner of the best budget traditional hot cross bun Iceland Hot Cross Buns
M&S’ Made Without buns, left, won both Best gluten-free and best budget gluten-free hot cross buns. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Lemon Curd & White Chocolate, right, costing £1.65, won the best flavour category
Runner-up flavoured hot cross bun
M&S Banoffee Hot Cross Buns, £2 for 4pk
Score: 82/100
Best budget flavoured hot cross bun
Lidl Apple & Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns, £1.19 for 4pk
Score: 74/100
Best gluten-free and best budget gluten-free hot cross buns
M&S Gluten Free Fruited Hot Cross Buns, £1.85 for 4pk
Score: 79/100
Runner-up gluten-free hot cross buns
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free From Caramel and Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, £2.50 for 4pk
Score: 72/100
There were joint winners in the coveted Easter Eggs category after the Institute Number tested 63 eggs in total.
This included 20 molk chocolate eggs, ten white chocolate eggs, 11 dark chocolate eggs, 11 vegan eggs and 11 eggs intended for children.
Cutter & Squidge’s £21.99 Billionaire Filled Easter Egg and Abel & Cole £12.95 Cocoa Loco Marbled Chocolate Egg both won the title of best milk chocolate Easter egg for 2023, with both scoring 82/100.
Both were beloved by the panel for their thick chocolate shells and perfectly-executed mix of milk, white and dark chocolate.
Morrison’s scored the highest in the white chocolate egg category with its £8 White & Blonde Chocolate Egg from their The Best line, with 82 out of 100.
Aldi’s £2.99 Moser Roth Geometric Blonde Egg, £2.99 for 120g stood out as the best budget option, scoring 79 out of 100.
Waitrose’s £7 Orange Ribbon Easter Egg was the best overall dark chocolate egg, with a score of 85 out of 100.
Morrisons came on top as the best budget option in the category for its £6 The Best Belgium Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Egg, which scored 79 out of 100.
What are the best chocolate eggs to try this Easter?
Cutter & Squidge’s £21.99 Billionaire Filled Easter Egg was the joint winner of the best Milk chocolate egg category
Easter eggs
Number tested: 63 (Milk 20, White 10, Dark 11, Vegan 11, Kids 11), from a shortlist of 122
Joint best milk chocolate Easter egg
Cutter & Squidge Billionaire Filled Easter Egg, £21.99 for 500g
Score: 82/100
Joint best milk chocolate Easter egg
Abel & Cole Cocoa Loco Marbled Chocolate Egg, £12.95 for 225g
Morrisons’ £6 The Best Belgium Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Egg, left, won the Best budget dark chocolate Easter egg title. Abe and Cole Cocoa Loco Marbled egg, right, jointly won best milk chocolate Easter egg
Abel & Cole Cocoa Loco Giant Bakewell Cherry & Almond Egg, which costs £37.95, was crowned this year’s Best vegan Easter egg
Score: 82/100
Joint runner-up milk chocolate Easter egg
Love Cocoa Giant Luxury Milk Chocolate Easter Egg, £40 for 500g
Score: 80/100
Joint runner-up milk chocolate Easter egg
Betty’s Milk Chocolate Feuilletine Egg, £22 for 200g
Score: 80/100
Best budget milk chocolate Easter egg
Aldi Wildflower Egg, £5.59 for 200g
Morrisons was crowned best white chocolate Easter egg with its The Best White & Blonde Chocolate Egg, costing £6, left. Waitrose Orange Ribbon Easter Egg, right, which costs £7 for 163g, won the dark chocolate egg title
Score: 77/100
Best white chocolate Easter egg
Morrisons The Best White & Blonde Chocolate Egg, £6 for 240g
Score: 82/100
Runner-up white chocolate Easter egg
Waitrose Raspberry Ribbon Easter Egg, £7 for 175g
Score: 81/100
Best budget white chocolate Easter egg
Aldi Moser Roth Geometric Blonde Egg, £2.99 for 120g
Score: 79/100
Chococo Dorset’s £13 Dinosaur Studded Egg was crowned the best children Easter egg of 2023
Best dark chocolate Easter egg
Waitrose Orange Ribbon Easter Egg, £7 for 163g
Score: 85/100
Runner-up dark chocolate Easter egg
Asda Extra Special Peppermint & Cocoa Nib Dark Chocolate Egg, £7 for 400g
Score: 83/100
Best budget dark chocolate Easter egg
Morrisons The Best Belgium Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Egg, £6 for 240g
Score: 73/100.
ASDA’s £3 Milk Chocolate Egg Easter Special Delivery snatched the title of best budget pick for kids
Best vegan Easter egg
Abel & Cole Cocoa Loco Giant Bakewell Cherry & Almond Egg, £37.95 for 1250g
Score: 78/100
Runner-up vegan Easter egg
Venchi Nougatine Egg, £39 for 570g
Score: 76/100
Best budget vegan Easter egg
ASDA Free From Lemon Cheesecake Easter Egg, £4.50 for 160g
Score: 70/100
Best kids Easter egg
Chococo Dorset Dinosaur Studded Egg, £13 for 175g
Score: 74/100
Joint runner-up kids Easter egg
Nomo Crispie Egg & Lolly, £3.50 for 92g
Score: 73/100
Joint runner-up kids Easter egg
Melt Maracca Filled Chocolate Eggs, £6.50 for 38g
Score: 73/100
Best budget kids Easter egg
ASDA Milk Chocolate Egg Easter Special Delivery, £3 for 100g
Score: 70/100
Abel and Cole’s £37.95 Cocoa Loco Giant Bakewell Cherry & Almond Egg was crowned the best vegan option of 2023, scoring 78 out of 100 thanks to its thick chocolate shell and its generous chunks of almonds and sour cherries.
ASDA’s £4.50 Free From Lemon Cheesecake Easter Egg got the title for best budget vegan Easter egg, with 70 out 100.
When it comes to children, Chococo Dorset’s £13 Dinosaur Studded Egg delighted testers with the dinosaurs and fossils embedded in its shell.
Asda’s £3 Milk Chocolate Egg Easter Special Delivery scored 70 out of 100, winning the best budget options for the little ones.
No Easter would be complete without a generous Easter Dinner, and the taste test also included a ranking of the best meat, fish and vegan out there.
Waitrose came out on top with its £6.90 Whole Chicken With Garlic And Herbs, which scored 85 out of 100.
If you want to go for a traditional Good Friday supper Aldi’s £4.49 Specially Selected Cheese & Dill Salmon Wellington, scored an impressive 83 out of 100.
Cook earned the top spot for veggie options with its £12 Portobello Mushroom Wellington, with a score of 77 out of 100. Meanwhile, ASDA’s £5.55 wellington won in the vegan stakes, with a score of 76 out of 100.
Callum Black, Food & Drink Testing Manager at the Good Housekeeping Institute said: ‘We started preparing for the Easter taste test back in December, and I’m pleased to say the results prove you needn’t spend a lot for a feast to remember.
‘With the cost-of-living crisis still driving our shopping habits, we’re proud to have included a budget option in every category.
When it comes to roast dinner centrepieces, our winners reflect the best of British produce, at a price point to suit all.
‘And elsewhere we were delighted to see our top-rated Easter eggs had an ethical and sustainable focus — something we hope to see more of in future testing.’
Where can you get the best ingredients for your Easter roast?
Waitrose’s £6.90 Whole Chicken With Garlic And Herbs won the best easter roast category
Meat centrepieces
Number tested: 33
Best Easter roast
Waitrose Whole Chicken With Garlic And Herbs, £6.90 for 1.5kg
Score: 85/100
Runner-up Easter roast
Piper’s Farm Grass Fed Leg of Lamb, £44.50 for 2.5kg
Score: 82/100
Budget Easter roast
Lidl Roast in Bag Garlic & Herb Chicken, £4.99 for 1.5kg
Score: 76/100
Aldi’s £4.49 Specially Selected Cheese & Dill Salmon Wellington won Best Easter seafood centrepiece and best budget
ASDA’s Vegan Wellington, which costs £5.55 for 500g, was crowned best vegan main fo the year
Seafood centrepieces
Number tested: 9
Best Easter seafood centrepiece and best budget
Aldi Specially Selected Cheese & Dill Salmon Wellington, £4.49 for 700g
Score: 83/100
Runner-up Easter seafood centrepiece
Abel & Cole Large Organic Salmon Fillet, £29.95
Score: 80/100
Veggie/vegan centrepieces (roasts)
Number tested: 9
Lidl’s £4.99 Roast in Bag Garlic & Herb Chicken won the best budget Easter roast category
Best vegetarian Easter main
COOK Portobello Mushroom Wellington, £12 for 360g
Score: 77/100
Best vegan Easter main
ASDA Vegan Wellington, £5.55 for 500g
Score: 76/100
Runner-up meat-free main
Waitrose PlantLiving: Nut Roast, £5.50 for 300g
Score: 72/100
Best budget meat-free Easter main
Meatless Farm Chickenless Roast, £4.50 for 380g
Score: 70/100
COOK’s £12 Portobello Mushroom Wellington snatched the Best vegetarian Easter main title
Roast potatoes
Number tested: 8
Best roast potatoes
M&S Smashed Potatoes with Salsa Verde Drizzle, £4 for 700g
Score: 90/100
Yorkshire puddings
Number tested: 8
Best Yorkshire puddings
ASDA Extra Special Beef Dripping Yorkshire Puddings, £2.35 for 288g
Score: 88/100
Source: Read Full Article