olive Easter Supermarket Awards 2024 – results

Best hot cross buns

We chose the best supermarket buns for the following categories:

• Best classic hot cross bun
• Best alternative hot cross bun
• Best vegan hot cross bun

For classic and vegan hot cross buns, we wanted each fluffy bun to be filled with plump, juicy fruit and have a well-spiced flavour. For the alternative hot cross buns, we wanted to see an exciting twist on the classic Easter bake.

Discover olive's best supermarket hot cross buns 2024

Best Easter eggs

We chose the best supermarket Easter eggs in the following categories:

• Best dark chocolate egg
• Best milk chocolate egg
• Best white chocolate egg
• Best luxury chocolate egg
• Best vegan egg

Each egg had to impress with its flavour, texture and appearance. For dark chocolate, we were after a good snap and glossy shine; for milk chocolate, we wanted a creamy mouthfeel and rounded flavour. Quality was key when it came to the white chocolate Easter eggs, and luxury eggs needed to wow in every aspect. The best vegan egg could have been rich and dark or creamy milk – as long as it impressed as much as its non-vegan counterparts.

Discover olive's best supermarket Easter eggs 2024

Best simnel cake

We wanted to find the best simnel cake, be it plain or decorated. A moist, well-spiced sponge with juicy dried fruit was essential.

Winner: M&S Easter Simnel Cake

• Available from M&S (£12)

This has a really pretty design and deep toasty flavour from the marzipan. The cake has a good texture that holds together and it is not too sweet, balancing out the marzipan intensity.

Available from:
M&S (£12)

Best Easter lunch centrepiece (meat/fish)

Winner: Aldi Wagyu Tomahawk

• Available from Aldi (£24.99, on sale in-store in March)

Definitely ticking the centrepiece box, this striking steak with long bone looks straight out of a restaurant – you’ll need a large frying pan, barbecue or griddle to cook it! The meat results were incredibly impressive: juicy, flavourful and tender – judges kept going back for more until it was all gone.

Runner up: Tesco Finest Lamb Rump Joint with Rosemary & Mint

• Available from Tesco (£7.50)

This offers a twist on classic Easter lamb and is great for smaller Easter gatherings. It's super easy to cook and the herbs infuse the meat with plenty of flavour.

How we chose the winners

The olive team chose 11 categories, having researched which products you, our readers, would be most likely to buy this Easter. We invited all the big supermarkets to select the products they wanted to nominate (just one entry per category, so they had to choose carefully). Our expert panel of judges blind-tasted them, rating each on taste, texture and appearance.