Tesco is opening a café tomorrow where every dish contains hot cross buns.
The aptly-named Tesco Hot Cross Bun Café will open in east London and will serve up the sweet Easter treat in several different ways.
Every dish and cocktail served will feature a twist on the hot cross bun – including vegan ‘hot cross bangers and smash’ at brunch and hot cross scones at afternoon tea.
Other variations include hot cross bun espresso martinis and hot cross bun steak tartare at dinner.
It isn't cheap, though all profits do go to the Trussell Trust charity, helping it give emergency food and support to people in crisis this Easter.
Brunches at the venue start at £5, for a child.
Adult brunches cost £8, and include one savoury and one sweet option per person, plus a choice of hot drink, Easter egg milkshake or fruit juice.
The café is also serving up afternoon teas, plus a glass of prosecco, soft drink or hot beverage, for £5 a child or £10 per adult.
For £18 you can even have dinner, featuring a five-course tasting menu sampling different hot cross buns, washed down with three cocktails or soft drinks.
The café can be found at 46 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3EP for one week only.
Bookings can be made through the website OpenTable, though walk-in places are available.
Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: “The hot cross bun is very much having a moment in 2022, as reflected by our focus on quality at an affordable price along with innovation in this year’s ranges.
"We wanted to make sure that this year’s was our best, but also go one step further and create a memorable Easter experience that allows hot cross bun lovers to enjoy our extensive offering in a variety of new and unexpected ways, while celebrating with family and friends.”
Traditionally hot cross buns were eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent.
In Tudor times, Queen Elizabeth I went as far as to ban them unless it was Easter or Christmas, or if there was a burial going on.
Nowadays, they appear on supermarket shelves all year round. Shoppers spent £37million on hot cross buns last year, according to analysts Kantar.
The treat is traditionally made with dried fruit and spices, but now there are hundreds of different versions and a variety of flavours, from red onion to chocolate or Marmite.
Tesco alone now sells blueberry hot cross buns, as well as scones and bread & butter pudding made with hot cross buns.
The supermarket's hot cross bun range also includes an Apple & Cinnamon option (£1.50), along with a Salted Caramel & Chocolate flavour (£1.50).
Waitrose does a pack of four ' Chocolate & Orange Hot Cross Buns ' for £1.69.
Lidl has a triple chocolate version of the Easter treat, while Aldi has even brought out a hot cross bun liqueur.
