Supermarkets across the Hunter have started gearing up for Easter, as much of the region still relishes in Yuletide joy.
Just as Novocastrians were setting in to polish off the Christmas ham and recover from holiday over-indulgence, the Newcastle Herald has been made aware of an alarming retail development. Hot cross buns. In December.
While many readers may be partial to the occasional pre-Easter breakfast treat, there are still almost four months until our favourite bunny does the rounds. This incessant bombardment of holiday food can't be fair dinkum - can it?
It looks like Coles are attempting to distract punters from their early run on hot cross buns, by putting a twist on the family favourite. More than 700 stores across Australia began stocking limited-edition buns on Monday - only two days after Christmas - in partnership with Bega Cheese Limited.
In an ambitious, and potentially divisive move, the new range of buns are infused with Vegemite and parmesan, and then topped with cheese.
"Vegemite is one of those things that makes Australia wonderful," Bega Cheese Limited Executive General Manager Adam McNamara said.
"We couldn't think of a better way to bring together two of Australia's favourites - Vegemite and hot cross buns. We think that Vegemite fans will be delighted with this new combination."
Coles General Manager of Bakery, Deli and Seafood, Andy Mossop, said customers had responded positively to Coles' previous twists on traditional products, and he expected Vegemite hot cross buns would be no different.
"It's important to us at Coles to have some fun with flavours, and we always want to give customers something they've never had before, but ultimately it has to taste great," Mr Mossop said.
"Our teams have put a lot of time and work into fine-tuning the recipe to ensure we have the perfect flavour profile so the signature Vegemite savouriness shines through in a way we know our customers are going to love."
Love it, or hate it, there seems to be no respite from the never-ending cycle of holiday treats lining supermarket shelves.
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