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EASTER TREAT
High street favourite crowned best for hot cross buns in blind taste test beating Aldi and Lidl
Plus, how you can save money on your next supermarket shop
A HIGH street supermarket stalwart has beaten Aldi and Lidl to first place in a hot cross bun blind taste test.
Yet both discounters came out cheaper than the winner in consumer group Which?'s test.
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Which? asked 73 shoppers to blind taste test luxury hot cross buns from nine supermarkets own brand lines to see how they compared.
Posh retailer M&S came out on top with its luxury fruited four-pack scoring 76% overall.
Panellists noted the buns had a strong aroma, generous amount of dried fruit inside and were sweet and moist.
However, at £2.10, or 53p per bun, they were the priciest out of all nine supermarket varieties.
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Aldi came in second place, with its specially selected luxury fruited hot cross buns scoring 73%.
The £1.25 pack of four was noted for its value for money, and the buns for their appearance, aroma, flavour and texture.
Their sweetness, moistness and texture were rated highly by 70% of panellists while 60% said the spice was the right balance.
Which? said Aldi's hot cross buns make a "delicious, budget option".
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In third was Asda's extra special extra fruit buns, costing £1.40 a pack and scoring 72% overall.
The amount of dried fruit in the buns, overall sweetness and texture were all rated highly by shoppers.
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Nearly two thirds said they hit the right sweetness although a third said they could have done with more spice.
In joint third was Sainsbury's' Taste The Difference fruity hot cross buns with a score of 72%.
The buns, priced at £1.50 for a pack of four, was noted for their fruit levels, sweetness and texture.
Around 50% said they liked the level of spice, however, 44% said they were too dry.
In fifth was Tesco's Finest hot cross buns which scored 71% overall, then Lidl and Morrisons in joint sixth with 70%.
Co-op came in eighth with a 69% score while Iceland scored poorly, with a 62% overall score.
Which? also noted the bun sizes vary between the brands, with Asda, Tesco and M&S' coming in chunky, while Aldi's buns were the lightest.
Waitrose's hot cross buns were not included due to availability issues.
How can I save on my supermarket shop?
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Natalie Hitchins, from Which?, said: "Nothing quite says Easter like a hot cross bun.
"Whether you enjoy yours plain, toasted or generously buttered, they are a firm seasonal favourite.
"M&S's Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns wowed our panel with their level of sweetness mixed with a spicy tang.
"However if you are looking for a budget friendly option, Aldi were a worthy runner up and offered excellent value."
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The Sun asked Aldi and Lidl to comment.
In other news, Which? had panellists blind taste test caterpillar cakes, with Aldi coming out on top.
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