If Christmas starts in November when can you eat a hot cross bun?

Whenever you want to. You can have my share, too, as they're disgusting!
Things have changed so much since we were children. Sky gives us much more to watch on Christmas day, instead of sitting through constant repeats. Easter eggs are sold as soon as Christmas is over, as are creme eggs, Valentine's hogs January, then Easter and everything is just available.
So you go and eat whatever you want, as long as you can get hold of it!

Good Friday

Yes, I’ve had a spiced apple one, also with lashings of butter. And this thread has inspired me to get the bread maker out to make some lemon iced buns later. They won’t be as good as Botham’s of Whitby, but they’ll do.

I am having a toasted hot cross bun with lashings of butter for breakfast instead of a healthy bowl of cereal and fruit, yum!

The best time to eat Hot Cross Buns is perhaps before the sell by date, don't you think?

madeleine45 Are you also bothered by the fact that Christmas starts around August?

It's food! If the shops are selling it, you can eat it. I eat creme eggs long before Easter. As the saying goes "fill yer boots" and enjoy.

I might just pinch your idea of following the string, madeleine45, thank you! I usually do treasure hunts for my lot on high days and holidays, but there’s a limit to how many clues there are in the world!

I really want one now! But seriously I haven't considered buying any yet.

I sound a misery , but dont mean it like that but I really do not like the fact that the supermarkets start with easter eggs and hot cross buns about 2 days after boxing day. I think that they children especially lose out with this attitude. we always had our hot cross buns on good friday and my great grandmother kept bantams and pulletts so we had a proper easter egg hunt round the garden before finding that last one which would be a chocolate egg. The shops are obviously just interested in profit. When my son was young I made a policy of never buying anything that was surrounding the tills as You know they put them there for pester power when you are trying to load your goods up. My son soon learned that nothing would be bought by fussing or moaning about stuff. I really dislike them pushing dates too early and feel that children lose that pleasure of anticipation, which can give a lot of fun and encourage effort in making cards. as for easter egg hunts, when there were a group of children of similar age it was a free for all, but if you had two or three children with very wide difference in ages we used to put the effort into making each child their own "string" We bought exactly the same amouont of sweets and bits and pieces, then my husband and I would spend time wrqpping them up in clingfilm and then winding the cotton round them and then putting them in things such as toy box or wellington boot etc and then as they came in it was follow the strings. Forty years later my son still mentions following the strings etc and then another thing we used to do was to hardboil an egg each, then colour them in after ading cochineal or yellow die or onion skins to the water. Then crayon your name on and then we would go to a nat trust place where there were little hilliocks so thaqt everyone could bat the egg down with a wooden spool. the winner got a little cadbury egg. These were all family celebrations and more about the tradition and doing the things again as before.So I shall continue to ignore any easter eggs etc until the rite time and hope to continue sticking to the right seasons and appropriate times

As soon as you succumb simnel slices.

GrannyLaine That's very kind. Thank you so much. I'll give them a try a bit nearer to Easter and let you know if they look anything like yours ? I might have to buy something to bake them in too ?

We like Iceland hotcross buns they are Spicy and keep for a couple days .I might try making bread and butter pudding with them has anyone got a good recipe please.

@AreWeThereYet, recipe as promised

www.shipton-mill.com/baking/recipes/hot-cross-buns-gails-x-nigella-x-me.htm

AreWeThereYet

GrannyLaine They do look gorgeous. I only made homemade ones once and they were yukkkk. Any chance of the recipe? Maybe it's time I tried making them again with a tried and tested recipe. Not that that will stop me from buying the M&S ones too ?

It was a recipe that looked a bit complicated but was actually not that difficult. I'm just doing dinner but will look it out later on for you.

And trisher, thank you for your kind words

I had one for my breakfast today 20/02, instead of toast.
I think you should eat them when you want them, doesn't matter what anyone says, if you want it then eat it.

Since I haven’t been able to make my own a few years ago I haven’t had any until this year when I bought some last week.
Nothing like my own home made ones.

As soon as it is warm!

Common sense prevails ???

It was Good Friday when I had to be up early to get to the bakers for the hot cross buns. Not available any other day. Then Easter Sunday for the chocolate eggs and painted hard boiled eggs rolled down the nearby hill until they cracked.

Try the M&S Marmite ones...yummy!

I live in the US, and Hot Cross Buns to buy are NOT good. I have been making my own for years, and we don’t eat them until Good Friday.

I haven't seen them on sale yet, but I will buy them as soon as I see them!

I would eat them anytime, and only stop when they are no longer available. However, I live in the very North of Scotland, and very few things are available all year round here (other than coal or logs). There is no M & S or Sainsbury here! There is a local bakery (limited hours), but it's on a main road with nowhere to park, and neither my husband nor myself can walk far! Our options are Lidl, Farmfoods, B & M (all on the same Business Park) or the Co-op!

GrannyLaine They do look gorgeous. I only made homemade ones once and they were yukkkk. Any chance of the recipe? Maybe it's time I tried making them again with a tried and tested recipe. Not that that will stop me from buying the M&S ones too ?

They make a great bread and butter pudding. Just tear them intompieces, no need to butter and soak as per usual.