Best hot cross buns for Easter 2015

Easter is almost upon us, and for many of us food will be at the heart of our celebrations. While the holiday is now synonymous with chocolate eggs, the hot cross bun is a far older Easter treat, dating back to the 1500s. With Marks & Spencer alone set to shift 40 million buns over the Easter period, the nation still clearly has an appetite for the spiced fruit delicacy – so which hot cross buns should you be looking out for this year?

For many newspapers, Easter means one thing – taste tests – and the Mirror is no exception. For its tester, the Co-op's hot cross buns offered the best price/quality ratio on the market, while Asda's freshly baked version came in second.

The Daily Mail went down a similar route, and most of their winners were distinctly non-traditional choices. Tesco's and Marks & Spencer's fudge and chocolate buns both ended up with top marks, with Morrisons' chocolate buns voted best for kids. The only traditional offerings to get the coveted five out of five were Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, both complimented on their rich fruit flavours.

If raisins and allspice are your idea of food hell, never fear - there is no shortage of eccentric variations on the traditional hot cross bun available in stores this Easter. Heston Blumenthal 's Easter contribution to his Waitrose range is an Acacia honey and ginger bun, which seems quite restrained by his standards. For the more adventurous, Duck and Waffle chef Tom Cenci has shared his recipe for moreish Nutella and peanut butter buns with Metro for you to try at home.

The Telegraph didn't assign scores to the hot cross buns it tested this year, but their reviewer had high praise for Tesco's apple and cinnamon buns, ideal if you fancy a fresh, fruity break from sultanas. Also singled out for special mention were Waitrose's date and cranberry offerings, which testers lauded as 'pleasingly squidgy'.