Merry Easter! Hot cross buns are already flying off the shelves and we’ve barely woken from our Christmas lunch food-comas. And not just any old hot cross buns – the sweet and savoury flavours up for grabs are a new frontier.

For the past few years there’s been a cheeky trend to bring out hot cross buns earlier and earlier. It’s now pretty common to see the sweet buns popping up on shelves on Boxing Day. So now that the early bun drop novelty has worn off, it seems to the latest way to shock shoppers is with elaborate and unique hot cross bun flavours. And Coles and Woolies have risen to the challenge!

Coles Vegemite Hot Cross Buns

Coles has decided to head down the savoury route, launching Vegemite Hot Cross Buns in partnership with Bega Cheese. They’re described as, ‘Soft buns infused with Vegemite and parmesan. Finished with an indulgent tasty cheese topping – a delicious flavour combination.’

Coles General Manager of Bakery, Deli and Seafood, Andy Mossop, says he’s sure customers will once again embrace the new twist on an old favourite.

“We know how much our customers love hot cross buns at Easter, and we know how much they love Vegemite, so we decided to merge these two icons to create a delicious, savoury spin on hot cross buns that champions iconic Aussie flavours,” he said. “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.”

Woolworths Caramilk Hot Cross Buns

Woolies has taken a bit of a safer option, combining the already super popular Cadbury Caramilk chocolate with hot cross buns.

“Our indulgent flavours are also highly anticipated, and what could arguably be our most exciting flavour yet is the Hot Cross Buns made with Cadbury Caramilk chips,” said Woolworths Commercial Director, Bakery Jason McQuaid.

“We’re expecting these limited edition buns to be in high demand from customers and encourage them to get in early if they want to try them.”

So, which one of these hot cross buns will you be trying? Let us know in the comments below!