I firmly believe certain things have their time and season: birthday cakes are presented on your birthday or pretty close to it – a week earlier or a couple weeks later is just about acceptable if you were engaged elsewhere at the time of your big day. It’s a bit strange if your birthday was in June, but you’re blowing out candles whilst your family and friends sing happy birthday to you in November.
Hot cross buns meant Easter-time
Sir David of Retrohenshire
I’m having a little moan: being a 70s child, Easter meant fried fish on Good Friday (typical dish in a Jamaican household) chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. My little moan happened a couple weeks ago, mid-August, whilst walking past the in-store bakery in my local supermarket. On the shelf were neatly double stacked packs of six hot cross buns.
I thought hot cross buns were a seasonal product only sold at Easter? They were sold only at Easter during the 70s and 80s, and I was excited to see them when they appeared. Hot cross buns meant Easter-time.
This year, 2026, Good Friday fell on the 3rd April and Easter Monday on the 6th – if the rollout of hot cross buns stuck to its Easter-time rules*, they would be on the shelves at the beginning of March, then withdrawn at the end of April. This stretch of availability would be perfectly reasonable. Based on Easter-time rules, hot cross buns have outstayed their welcome by more than three whole months and still going! There’s a strong likelihood that they’ll make it to Christmas where they’ll find a cosy space close to the mince pies, puddings and yule logs.
Some may argue that hot cross buns are just ordinary fruit buns, but they’re not: they’re spiced and have a bold, beautiful cross piped onto them. They even have their own unique song… hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one-a-penny two-a-penny hot cross buns. If you have no daughters, give them to your sons… hot cross buns.
My moan comes from the fact they have outstayed their welcome – no more crossing mixture should be made, the spices should be tightly sealed away and no baker should be allowed to make a single hot cross bun before the Easter season of 2027.
I did have a malicious thought about how to clear the supermarket shelf of hot cross buns: swipe them off the shelf onto the floor using my outstretched arm. Whilst doing this, I’d yell “Easter! These are for Easter, not for now… Easter!”
*Easter-time rules is a realistic timeframe put together by me.
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I totally agree with you about Hot Cross buns. They are meant for Easter, and yes I was a child of the 70’s and 80’s, and never saw hot cross buns at any other time of year, apart from Easter! I guess it’s just the greedy Supermarket chains trying to increase their profits. Hot Cross buns are only for Easter! 👍🏻🙂
Totally agree, Garry. 🙂👍