‘Not cross buns’: the row over recipe revamps

British supermarkets have been accused of “playing fast and loose with culinary tradition” by meddling with the traditional hot cross bun.

A growing list of “increasingly wacky” takes on the Easter favourite have emerged in recent years, said The Telegraph, “such as Sainsbury’s cheddar and caramelised onion chutney recipe, Asda’s tomato and red Leicester version and Waitrose’s Earl Grey tea and orange zest flavour”.

But while some critics are up in arms, consumers don’t seem to mind such twists. According to marketing data company Kantar, sales of hot cross buns were up by 15% year-on-year in the four weeks to 17 March.

‘Older – and weirder – origins’

The standard hot cross bun is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a type of sweet spiced currant bun marked with a cross and traditionally eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday”. In the Christian tradition, the cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus, and the spices in the dough represent those used to embalm Jesus after his death.

Hot cross buns are widely thought to have originated from St Alban’s Abbey, where a 14th century monk called Thomas Rocliffe created a spiced, fruited bun to distribute to the poor. If Rocliffe were alive today, said BBC Countryfile, “he might stop and say a prayer for forgiveness” when he saw the assortment of alternative flavours now being sold, “from chocolate and caramel to orange and cranberry”.

Brother Rocliffe “may have done his bit” to popularise the traditional version, said Vice, but hot cross buns have “far older – and weirder – origins” that may predate Christianity. “Baked to celebrate the pagan goddess Eostre and the rejuvenation of crops after the rigours of winter, the buns were consumed throughout pre-Christian Europe”, and their quartered design represented the four seasons.

Hot cross buns are now widely available throughout the year, but in the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I banned their sale apart from at Easter, Christmas and for funerals.

‘Upsetting worshippers’

Although contemporary revamped versions of the buns have generally stuck to the familiar round shape with a cross, supermarket giant Iceland has sparked anger by replacing the cross with a tick.

The “not cross bun” risked “upsetting worshippers”, said the Daily Mail, as online critics threatened to boycott the chain.  But an Iceland spokesperson told the paper that “we are always listening to our customers for feedback on our products and we were surprised that a fifth came back to say they would like to see a version with a tick”. Traditional hot cross buns will also “always be available at our stores nationwide”, the chain said.

The many other revamped versions being sold by other supermarkets include cheese and Marmite hot cross buns at Marks & Spencer, while Waitrose has a Hot Cross Bunettone. Aldi is selling Jaffa Cake-flavoured buns.

And Tesco and Asda have been “accused of ‘playing fast and loose with culinary tradition’ by serving the Easter favourite with clotted cream and jam”, said The Telegraph.  “Rows over scones are almost as old as time,” said the paper, “but few would expect hot cross buns to become the latest flashpoint.”