
BBC Good Food Easter Taste Awards 2023 – results
Our expert panel of BBC Good Food judges tasted more than 120 products to find the best supermarket hot cross buns, Easter eggs, simnel cakes and Easter desserts available this year.
From snacking on chocolate Easter eggs to hot cross buns for breakfast, the Easter period is packed with delicious treats. Which is why we launched the BBC Good Food Easter Taste Awards 2023, designed to find the very best supermarket buns, chocolate eggs, Easter desserts and simnel cakes for you to enjoy this April. We also tested Easter lunch main courses for the first time, bringing you our top picks for meat or veggie centrepieces for a special Easter lunch.
We invited 10 supermarkets to submit their best Easter treats across 17 categories. Packaging was removed and judges tasted all items blind. Comments and a score out of 10 were submitted for each product in the category via anonymous online judging forms. The entire judging process was overseen by an independent adjudicator.
This year, the team tested more than 120 different products to find favourites in each category. As well as the winners you see here, the Good Food judging panel also awarded ‘highly commended’ status to high-scoring products that deserved recognition. You can find them on the individual Easter eggs results and hot cross buns results pages.
Please note that some of these products are only available to buy in-store and not online.
The best supermarket chocolate Easter eggs 2023
For the full list of winning eggs, including highly commended products, visit our best Easter eggs results page.
Best milk chocolate egg

Winner: ASDA Extra Special Extra Thick Honeycomb, Pretzel & Caramel Milk Chocolate Egg
This generously sized egg was an all-round winner. Thick chocolate is studded with honeycomb, pretzel pieces and caramel for perfectly balanced sweet and salt levels. We kept going back for more.
Available from:
Asda (£7)
Best dark chocolate egg

Winner: M&S Extremely Chocolatey Dark Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Crunch Egg
Glossy chocolate with a good thickness and snap, decorated with pretzels and chunky peanut pieces for extra crunch.
Available from:
M&S (£7, in store)
Best white chocolate egg

Winner: Waitrose Raspberry Ribbon Easter Egg
This fun, colourful egg looks impressive and tastes premium. It's packed with freeze-dried raspberries for tang and a tiny bit of crunch without being overpowering. The fruit cuts through sweet white chocolate perfectly.
Available from:
Waitrose (£7)
Best vegan egg

Winner: Asda Extra Special Free From Dark Chocolate Egg with Vanilla Flavour Truffles
The complex dark chocolate is smooth and silky with impressive creaminess for a vegan option.
Available from:
Asda (£5)
Best children's egg

Winner: Waitrose Take it Slow Boe
The adorable turtle design and intricate detail of this unusual ‘egg’ won over judges, but the chocolate was equally standout – smooth, creamy and a great thickness.
Available from:
Waitrose (£6)
Best miniature eggs
Winner: Aldi Moser Roth Belgian Chocolate Mini Eggs
This smart box of chocolates holds a variety of gourmet flavours inside each mini egg, including salted caramel, speculoos and chocolate orange. The chocolate was good quality with generous levels of ganache and fillings hidden inside.
More like this
Available from:
Aldi (£3.99, in store)
Best chocolate bunny
Joint winner: Aldi Moser Roth milk chocolate hazelnut bunny
Easter bunnies aren't just for kids. This hazelnut bunny has a more grown-up flavour, with lots of crunchy nuts throughout and smooth chocolate on a simplistic design.
Available from:
Aldi (£1.49)

Joint winner: Waitrose Hip Hop Harri
The sweet design of this characterful bunny was impressive, but judges particularly loved the surprise of the chocolate carrot filled with caramel! Expect smooth and creamy chocolate that melts easily.
Available from:
Waitrose (£6)
Best Easter sweets

Winner: M&S Percy Pig Easter Party Time
Percy Pig is instantly recognisable and here he’s been given a colourful neon makeover (along with some friends) – juicy, sweet and sure to please a crowd.
Available from:
Ocado (£1.85)
The best supermarket hot cross buns and simnel cakes 2023
For the full list of winning buns and cakes, including highly commended products, visit our best hot cross buns and simnel cake 2023 page.
Best classic hot cross buns

Winner: Co-op Irresistible Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
With a smart glazed topping, soft bread and good balance of fruit, these buns almost tasted homemade. The spicing is light and well-balanced.
Available from:
Co-op (£1.60/4-pack)
Best alternative hot cross buns

Winner: Lidl Deluxe Luxury Apple Hot Cross Buns
A subtle twist on the classic hot cross bun, these had juicy chunks of apple and dialled-up levels of cinnamon. One for hot cross bun purists who fancy something new.
Available from:
Lidl (£1.39, 4-pack, available in store)
Best savoury hot cross buns

Winner: M&S Extremely Cheesy Hot Cross Buns
The cheese flavour of these buns appealed to all judges, with good texture to the bread. One of these buns would make an extremely decadent grilled cheese sandwich...
Available from:
Ocado (£1.95, 4-pack)
Best gluten-free hot cross buns

Winner: M&S Made Without Fruited Hot Cross Buns
These had an appealing, relatively squidgy texture for a gluten-free product, plus an attractive golden appearance. Expect a good cinnamon flavour and a generous proportion of fruit (including juicy raisins).
Available from:
Ocado (£1.95, 4-pack)
Best simnel cake

Winner: M&S Easter Simnel Cake
Judges loved the pretty floral marzipan design on top of this cake, and the generously sized marzipan balls – both had a great flavour. The cake had evenly distributed fruit with plenty of currants, and it held together well when sliced.
Available from:
Ocado (£13, 930g)
The best supermarket Easter desserts 2023
Best Easter dessert
Winner: Aldi Specially Selected Hot Cross Bun Pudding
Judges loved this comforting pud: crispy top, squidgy custardy centre with a hint of vanilla, and lots of fruit and spice from the hot cross buns.
Available from:
Aldi (£3.99, 600g. In store April 3)
Best Easter bakery item

Winner: M&S Colomba di Pasqua
This comes beautifully packaged, making it a great gift option. It’s a traditional Italian Easter treat – one for people who like a panettone at Christmas! The bread is soft and sweet, with whole almonds on top for crunch.
Available from:
Ocado (£12, 750g)
The best Easter lunch mains 2023
Best Easter lunch centrepiece (veggie/vegan)

Winner: M&S Roast Butternut Squash & Spinach Pie
This looks homemade with its impressive filo topping, contrasting to the pie crust round the base. It's not a huge pie, but it is hearty and filling with plenty of veg.
Available from:
M&S (£7, 425g, in-store)
Best Easter lunch centrepiece (meat/fish)
Winner: Aldi Wagyu Tomahawk
This seriously impressive wagyu tomahawk stole the show – a great centrepiece. You’ll need to hunt down your biggest pan to cook it, but the tender, juicy and flavourful meat is worth the effort. We kept going back for more.
Available from:
Aldi (£24.99, in store April 3)
Runner-up: Asda Succulent Cook In The Bag Lamb Shoulder
If you want lamb at Easter, this is our top pick. The ‘cook in the bag’ method keeps the meat really juicy, and judges enjoyed the level of herbiness.
Available from:
Asda (in-store)
For the full list of 2023 winners, including highly commended products, visit our best Easter eggs and best hot cross buns pages.
This review was last updated in March 2023. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.