olive Easter Supermarket Awards 2023 – 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 2023

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 2023

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 Ocado (£13)

One for marzipan fans, this had a pretty, generously toasted top with good depth of almond flavour and larger marzipan balls. The cake itself holds together well when sliced and had a rich, almost molasses note to it.

Available from:
Ocado (£13)

Runner up: Waitrose Simnel Cake

• Available from Waitrose (£12)

Whilst similar to our winner, this one differed for generous levels of spicing. It’s a smaller cake with just a thin layer of marzipan but the taste is impressive – almost homemade.

Best Easter lunch centrepiece (veggie/vegan)

Winner: Lidl Deluxe Tartlets (Curried Cauliflower & Kale)

• Available from Lidl (in-store)

These lacked a showstopping centrepiece appearance but won over the judges on taste. The filling had good curried flavour with warming spices and a good ratio of filling to pastry. A handy quick meal to keep in the freezer.

Best Easter lunch centrepiece (meat/fish)

Winner: Aldi Wagyu Tomahawk

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

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: M&S Boneless Middle Eastern Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

• Available from Ocado (£9.50)

This offers a twist on classic Easter lamb. The tender slow cooked meat doesn’t look all that much once cooked but is packed with flavour – shred into pieces and stuff into pittas with houmous and pickles.

How we chose the winners

The olive team chose 12 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.