London’s best hot cross buns

‘This is a hot crossie for grown-ups,’ said one tester approvingly. And the praise rolled in from the whole panel; ‘a very pleasant silky pillowy texture, lovely gently spiced taste, feels mildly indulgent without being nauseating – just a great bun,’ concluded another, while a third hymned its ‘soft, doughy, tangy’ joys. Nice work!

Toklas Bakery, Temple.

Sexier than Jacob Elordi, curvier than Sydney Sweeney, shinier than Paul Mescal’s little chain: this gleaming beauty is definitely the handsomest bun in town. It ‘looks absolutely mega,’ summarised one tester. And the secret to its good looks isn’t some kind of insta-peddled supplement, it’s a Paddington-worthy slathering of marmalade: ‘it tastes formidably orangey, but it pulls it off,’ said another fan. Combined with a densely spiced interior, this bun could feasibly be devoured straight from the bag, ideally in the privacy of your own home.

Did Jesus suffer on the cross so we could desecrate his favourite teatime treat? Oh pipe down, poor guy probably never even owned a toaster. So we’ll allow this luxurious riff on a classic, with its elaborate croissant-dough topping that ‘makes for a nice bit of textural variety,’ according to our testers. They also enjoyed the ‘instant burst of smoky flavour’ and ‘darker, more caramelised notes’ in its spice mix. And as much as we hate to bait traditionalists, its almost-savoury charms would make a bacon sandwich to die for, too.

See that dimple in the middle? Nope, this bun wasn’t prodded by an impatient baker. It’s actually an exciting hybrid with all of the spice of a ho cro, and all the hole of a bagel. In common with other classic cross-cultural mashups like the Tesco chicken tikka sandwich, it’s not likely to thrill traditionalists, but it makes loads of sense: cinnamon and raisin bagels are already very much a thing, and this satisfyingly chewy bun just pushes the envelope a tad further. Testers complained that it came with ‘way too much cream cheese filling,’ so keep things simple by toasting yours at home.

If (for some dark, twisted reasons you’ll probably unpick in therapy some years from now) you feel compelled to make a TikTok of yourself eating a hot cross bun, this is the one to do it with. In a riff on one of Gelupo’s famous ice cream-filled brioches, Jolene’s fragrant-yet-substantial buns are the container for an egg made out of layers of creamy marscapone, egg yolk and chocolate gelato. ‘My teeth hurt,’ said a tester with delicate gums, but more resilient gourmets will delight in this lavish mash-up of spice, unctuous creaminess, and just enough Eastery chocolate.   

Icing! Candied peel! Spicy custard! Veganism! This is a hot cross bun that’ll have traditionalists spluttering indignantly into their cups of Earl Grey but who cares when it’s this delicious. ‘It tastes like a Body Shop vanilla spice lip balm I had when I was 12,’ said one tester approvingly, while other satisfied customers praised its ‘nice and soft and pillowy’ texture and ‘proper custard filling – I never would have guessed it was vegan’. Just don’t try putting it in your toaster.

Not all of our testers were enthused by this oh-so-trad offering from south London bakery mini-chain Blackbird. ‘Dry and dusty’ grumbled one spoilt bun-eater. But if you like a lighter, breadier ho cro experience this is well worth a try: ‘it doesn’t feel like you need a lie down afterwards,’ said another tester, welcoming the break from the endless decadent richness of the other entrants on the list.