Hot cross buns have become synonymous with Easter in the United Kingdom and in many English-speaking countries around the world. 

Millions of these deliciously sweet spiced, slightly sticky buns are available everywhere, with many supermarkets now offering variations ranging from chocolate to apple and cinnamon. 

Whatever the taste, all are characterized by a simple pastry cross piped on the top — at least until this year, when one supermarket chain replaced the cross on some buns with a tick, causing a storm of criticism.

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It is a tradition that dates back centuries and has never lost its popularity. Though the buns were temporarily banned during the Reformation, Queen Elizabeth I relented, allowing the buns to be baked commercially at Easter.  They have even become part of a traditional children’s rhyme:

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot cross buns!

If you haven’t got a daughter, give them to your sons.

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot cross buns!

Their popularity as an Easter seasonal delight has spread and has been included in Le Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, a famous international food competition, as one of the notable “Breads of the World.”

Yet only one version claims to be the original hot cross bun. This is the Alban bun, produced in just one location: St. Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire, a two-hour drive north from London. Since its revival over 30 years ago, the Alban bun has become highly sought after, with people coming from far and wide specifically to buy this Easter delight.

The story of the Alban bun dates back to the Middle Ages, when St. Albans was a monastic foundation. Each day, the monks would give some food to the local poor. One Easter, a special bun was devised, as the Herts Advertiser of 1862 recounted. 

“It is said that in a copy of ‘Ye Book of St Albans’ it was reported that ‘in the year of Our Lord 1361 Thomas Rocliffe, a monk attached to the refectory at St. Albans Monastery, caused a quantity of small, sweet spiced cakes, marked with a cross, to be made; then he directed them to be given away to persons who applied at the door of the refectory on Good Friday in addition to the customary basin of sack [wine]. These cakes so pleased the palates of the people who were the recipients that they became talked about, and various were the attempts to imitate the cakes of Father Rocliffe all over the country, but the recipe of which was kept within the walls of the Abbey.’ The time honoured custom has therefore been observed over the centuries, and will undoubtedly continue into posterity, bearing with it the religious remembrance it is intended to convey.”

The Reformation, and the passing of time, led to details of this recipe being forgotten and lost. The monastery of St. Albans eventually became a Cathedral, known as the Abbey of St. Albans. 

“About 30 years ago, someone came across or remembered the 1862 Herts Advertiser newspaper account, telling the story of Brother Rocliffe and the buns from the 1300s,” said Kate Klevitt, marketing and communications executive at St. Albans Abbey. 

Searching the St. Albans Abbey archives, researchers discovered an old recipe, which was trialed by various locals connected to the abbey. 

“About 20 years ago, our in-house refectory cook Anne Hunt produced the best modern-day version she could,” Klevitt said. “These were made for Easter week only, in very limited numbers for about three years. Then, the local Sainsbury’s was on board for a year, but their version wasn’t very true to the original. Redbournbury Mill produced them in far greater numbers — as time went on, it ran into 1000s per year. After using various other bakeries over the years, the Alban buns are now produced in-house.”

Klevitt added: “The Alban buns have only ever been sold for charity. All sales have been by and for St. Albans Cathedral, which is both a charity itself and gives to/supports other charities.”

The Alban bun is now available only from St. Albans Abbey between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The exact recipe is kept a secret and not shared with anyone. 

Two things, however, stand out in making it distinct and unique from any other hot cross bun. Unlike hot cross buns, with their piped cross on the top, the Alban bun has a deep cross cut into the surface, dividing it into four quarters, each of which is slightly pointed. The flavor, too, is different due to the mix of spices — none of which are revealed to the public.  

Made fresh each day, the Alban bun has become highly prized as a local, historic delicacy. Demand generally outstrips supply.

“People journey to the cathedral to taste a bit of history in the place where it all started,” Klevitt said. “On top of that — they taste good!”

Angela Youngman is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of national and international publications.