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Buyer beware: From caramel to cheese, novel hot cross bun fillings could be ‘the devil at work’

Hot cross buns are decorated with a cross - B Aldridge / Alamy Stock Photo
Hot cross buns are decorated with a cross - B Aldridge / Alamy Stock Photo

Supermarkets and restaurants are doing “the devil’s work” by defiling hot cross buns with chocolate, caramel and cheese fillings, the Queen’s former honorary chaplain has said.

Dr Gavin Ashenden, who served as chaplain to the Queen at St James Palace for almost ten years, said they had forgotten the Christian origins of the buns, which are traditionally eaten on Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion.

He said retailers were “enlarging appetites” by adding novel and unhealthy fillings to the buns, thereby warping their symbolism of struggle and salvation from those very appetites.

He pointed out that, for Christians, “It’s not an accident they have been warped” and that this could be seen as “the devil at work”.

Dr Gavin Ashenden served as chaplain to the Queen at St James Palace for almost ten years
Dr Gavin Ashenden served as chaplain to the Queen at St James Palace for almost ten years

Hot cross buns are decorated with a cross typically made from flour paste, which is said to represent the cross on which Christ died. Some say the spices represent those that were used to embalm Christ after his death.

They have triggered a spate of innovation in recent years. Gail’s, the bakery chain, recently dabbled with a “hot cross bun bacon butty,” while KFC launched a hot cross bun burger with chicken and cheese. Last week, Aldi launched a hot cross bun gin liqueur, which is flavoured with notes of caramel, raisins and spice.

Dr Ashenden said that the buns were “not just a cultural requisite for Good Friday.”

“It’s a matter of massive importance in a multi-layered way,” he said. “Christians are sad that the symbolism is lost but it's also the loss of the narrative of struggle.”

“Hot cross bun stands for the struggle between the world as it is and the world as we want it to be,” he added. “We are making a lot of money out of exacerbating those appetites”.

Tesco gives hot cross buns innovative twist

Tesco announced this week that it has launched six new hot cross bun varieties in time for Easter. The supermarket said it had taken “hot cross bun innovation to the next level” after unravelling new flavours: blueberry, salted caramel and a gluten free apple & cinnamon. It has also launched a “hot cross scones,” a hot cross bread and butter pudding and a gluten-free “hot cross bun chocolate bar.”

It will also open an “Instagrammable” pop up hot cross bun cafe on April 5, featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner options. It comes after sales of hot cross buns soared by a fifth last year.

The supermarket said: “Every dish and cocktail served will feature Tesco products with an innovative twist on the hot cross bun – including vegan ‘Hot Cross Bangers and Smash’ at brunch, Hot Cross Scones at afternoon tea, and Hot Cross Bun Espresso Martinis and Hot Cross Bun Steak Tartare at dinner. To ensure that everyone can enjoy the experience, plant based and gluten free options will be available at every session.”

Tesco's new twist on the Christian classic: hot cross scones
Tesco's new twist on the Christian classic: hot cross scones

The supermarket also boasts 32 exclusive chocolate egg creations, such as; Kit Kat Biscoff Giant Egg, Lindt Salted Caramel Egg, Cadbury Chocolate Fingers Egg and Bounty Giant Chocolate Egg. As with other supermarkets, the products largely exclude any reference to Easter on their packaging, a state of affairs that often riles christians.

Hot cross buns now incorporate such a wide variety of ingredients that some manufacturers say their products cannot be warmed up in toasters. Marks and Spencer offers a new range of “Extremely Cheesy” and “Extremely Chocolately” hot cross buns but tells customers to warm them up in the grill because the fillings could melt and damage toasters.

Waitrose offers white chocolate and lemon hot cross buns, while Sainsbury’s sells a cheddar & caramelised onion chutney variety. One disappointed customer wrote on the Sainsbury’s website: “A hot cross bun simply did not deserve this treatment! The relentless pursuit of novelty flavour combinations is one thing, but this... no.”