Tesco is opening a special cafe serving hot buns just in time for Easter

Hot cross bun fans will soon be able to visit a pop-up Tesco restaurant that only serves dishes that are classic twists on the popular Easter treat, including hot cross bun steak tartare

tesco is opening a coffee shop tomorrow where every dish includes Hot Cross Buns.

The aptly named Tesco Hot Cross Bun Café is set to open in east London and will be serving up the sweet Easter treats in a variety of ways.

Every dish and cocktail served features a twist on the Hot Cross Bun — including vegan Hot Cross Bangers and Smash at brunch and Hot Cross Scones at afternoon tea.

Other variations include hot cross bun espresso martinis and hot cross bun steak tartare for dinner.

It doesn’t come cheap, although all profits go to the Trussell Trust charity, helping them give emergency food and support to those in crisis at Easter.

Brunches at the venue start from £5 for a child.

Adult brunches cost £8 and include one savory and one sweet option per person, plus a choice of hot drinks, Easter egg milkshakes or fruit juices.

The cafe also serves afternoon tea plus a glass of Prosecco, a soft drink or a hot drink for £5 per child or £10 per adult.

For £18 you can even have dinner, with a five-course tasting menu sampling a variety of Hot Cross Buns washed down with three cocktails or soft drinks.

The cafe is located at 46 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3EP for a week only.

Bookings can be made through the OpenTable website, although walk-in seats are available.

Alessandra Bellini, Tesco Chief Customer Officer, said: “The Hot Cross Bun is having a big moment in 2022, which is reflected in our focus on quality at an affordable price along with innovation in this year’s ranges.

“We wanted to make sure this year’s was our best, but also to go the extra mile and create an unforgettable Easter experience that allows Hot Cross Bun lovers to enjoy our extensive offerings in a variety of new and unexpected ways while they’re with of family celebrate and friends celebrate.”

Traditionally, hot cross buns were eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent.

In the Tudor period, Queen Elizabeth I went so far as to ban them unless it was Easter or Christmas or when a funeral was taking place.

Today they are on supermarket shelves all year round. Shoppers spent £37million on hot cross buns last year, according to analysts at Kantar.

The treat is traditionally made with dried fruit and spices, but now there are hundreds of different versions and a variety of flavors, from red onion to chocolate or marmite.

Tesco now only sells blueberry hot-cross buns, as well as scones and bread-and-butter pudding with hot-cross buns.

The supermarket’s Hot Cross Bun range also includes an apple and cinnamon option (£1.50) along with a salted caramel and chocolate flavor (£1.50).

Waitrose makes a pack of four Chocolate & Orange Hot Cross Buns for £1.69.

Lidl has a triple chocolate version of the Easter treat, while Aldi has even released a hot cross bun liqueur.