I stopped buying hot cross buns a few years ago and true, it is pretty galling picking up ingredients to make your own when a supermarket pack of six is under a pound - I even think they are currently on offer for 35p for half a dozen in one of the big stores.

But the doughy, spongy, shop bought buns are not a match for the ones you can bake at home and it fills the whole house with a gorgeous smell of spice.

The recipe I have settled on over the last couple of years is one from–sharp intake of breath–Delia Smith. She usually isn't my first port of call but I guess these buns are traditional no nonsense fare and that is her forte.

The only thing that I have changed, other than adding more spice, is the method to make the crosses. The first year I made them using Delia's method, they almost broke your teeth. The second year I used another recipe and they spread over the buns too much. This year I made a really thick paste from flour and water and piped the crosses on using a freezer bag, snipping off the end. Success.



Love them. Easter wouldn't be the same without a pile of these and some salty butter to spread on them.