Hot cross buns have long since outgrown their once-a-year status. What was traditionally a Good Friday staple now starts appearing not long after the Christmas decorations come down, with bakeries treating the spiced, fruit-studded bun as both a marker of the season and a canvas for invention. Purists still make the case for a properly spiced dough and a neat cross, but elsewhere there’s room for play, from savoury riffs to ice cream fillings.

1. For a Hot Cross Sandwich: TOAD 

What: South London’s queer-owned bakery TOAD approaches Easter with a mix of tradition and playful excess. The classic hot cross bun is available, but it’s the savoury spin that stands out: a split and toasted bun filled with whipped salted butter, house-made brown sauce, and thick-cut smoky bacon and black pudding from Peckham butchers Flock & Herd. It’s rich, unapologetically indulgent, and more sandwich hybrid than sweet treat.

Where: 44 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8PX

2. For a Well-Loved Bun: St. JOHN

What: Ever popular, St. JOHN Hot cross buns are long-proved and slow-risen for a deep, yeasted dough flavour to offset the sweet warmth of the spices, and balance the essential, large quantity of butter. Studded with dried fruit, candied peel and crystallised ginger, these buns are a glorious treat from one of London’s most beloved bakeries. In their words: ‘Nothing can replace the heart-pulling joy of a gloriously, deeply evocative flavour that appears for one short season and then, no more.’

Where: Locations here

3. For a Fruity Bun: Pophams

What: Since opening its doors in 2017, Pophams has reimagined traditional British baking, marrying time-honoured techniques with creative flair. Created by Executive Chef Phil King, the Hot Cross Buns are traditionally flavoured with dried fruit, citrus peel and mixed spices, each bun is generously studded with raisins, currants, sultanas, candied peel, apple, mixed spice, King’s Ginger and cinnamon. A crunchy cross made from Pophams’ signature laminated croissant dough crowns each bun, before they’re finished with a citrus glaze and a maple and cardamom syrup.

Where: Locations here

4. For a Spiced Bun: FINK’S

What: Available across all sites, FINK’S Hot cross buns use a heavily spiced dough with early grey soaked currants, raisins and soft Turkish golden raisins. Plenty of candied citrus peel made in-house using blood orange, bergamot, amalfi lemon and orange from the Todolí Foundation is also incorporated. Each bun is finished with an amalfi lemon and vanilla marmalade glaze.

Where: Locations here

5. For a Classic Bun: Toklas Bakery

What: Toklas keeps things reassuringly classic with its hot cross buns, leaning on a spiced tea-enriched dough scented with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. The twist is subtle but considered – a final addition of candied Todolí citrus peel (the last of the season), folded through for a bright, zesty lift and a pleasing chew.

Where: 9 Surrey St, Temple, London WC2R 2ND

6. For an Ice Cream Sandwich: Gelupo 

What: Soho gelateria Gelupo has taken a clear detour from hot cross bun orthodoxy this Easter. Instead of tweaking the recipe, it’s reworking the format entirely… splitting the buns and filling them with artisan gelato. The result (available in limited flavours), draws on the Sicilian brioche con gelato, where ice cream is tucked into a soft, sweet bun and left to melt slightly as you eat. Fillings include spring-leaning flavours such as orange curd and brown butter with honey, alongside the classics, all chosen to sit comfortably against the bun’s spice.

Where: 7 Archer St, London W1D 7AU

7. For a Well Made Bun: Dusty Knuckle 

What: The Dusty Knuckle is playing it (mostly) straight this Easter – its much-loved hot cross buns are back after selling out fast last year. There’s no reinvention here, just a well-made classic done with confidence; properly spiced, generously fruited, and baked with the kind of care that’s earned the bakery its cult-like following.

Where: Locations here

8. For a Purist’s Bun: Fortitude Bakehouse

What: Situated down a mews in London’s Russell Square, Fortitude have long been revered for their ferment-based bakes, and their Hot Cross Buns are no different. With a two-day ferment and sourdough base to develop texture and flavour in the dough, Fortitude’s buns are enriched with Earl Grey tea, a special spice mix, and studded with orange peel and sultanas.

Where: 35 Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD

9. For a Hot Cross Bun Delivery: Pump Street 

What: Offering bakes for purists and for renegades alike, this year Pump Street’s Hot Cross Bun offering has expanded – visitors to their Suffolk bakery can enjoy Chocolate orange buns, baked with single-origin Ecuador 85% chocolate and candied orange peel. If the classics are more your thing, Pump Street’s Hot Cross Buns are available online for delivery nationwide. Spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, the buns boast Vostizza currants for extra juiciness.

Where: Order here

10. For an Out-of-London Bun: PINCH

What: PINCH, the relaxed café and bakery on the regenerative and organic Maple Farm in Suffolk, is known for its seasonally driven, farm-to-table approach. This Easter, it’s serving spiced Roman-style brioche buns filled with softly whipped cream and studded with citrus and brandy-soaked currants and raisins. Available from 26th March.

Where: Maple Farm, East Green, Kelsale, Saxmundham IP17 2PL