Joe & Seph's Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread - 230g

The hot cross bun is one of the few British bakes that belongs to a particular week, turning up in every bakery window around Easter and vanishing again. This spread lets that flavour live in the cupboard all year, which feels slightly like cheating, and is.

Most people looking for it in Canada had a jar once, at a friend's kitchen table or from a deli back home, and the name stuck. It is a very British idea: take a bun everyone already loves and work out how to get it onto a knife.

It comes in a 230g jar, a size that looks reasonable on the shelf and somehow empties faster than you planned. Check the lid for how to keep it once it is open. It goes on toast and crumpets, stirs into porridge, and warms through nicely for pouring over ice cream or a stack of pancakes.

Joe & Seph's is best known for its gourmet popcorn and caramel, so this sits in good company. It is the kind of thing people put in a basket alongside a box of proper British tea and a packet of crumpets.