The UK’s first ever hot cross bun gelato is on Ocado and Nigella Lawson is a fan

What a time to be alive

Ocado Hot Cross Bun Gelato
(Image credit: Hackney Gelato)

What a time to be alive

Sound the klaxon: Ocado has just launched the ultimate Easter product to rival the M&S chocolate sloth and Lindt's new white chocolate bunnies and you're going to want to *add to basket* pretty pronto.

That's right, the online food retailer is selling a brand new hot cross bun flavoured gelato in time for the Easter weekend.

Rumour has it chef Nigella Lawson is a fan, and with the ice cream scooping fifteen Great Taste Stars in the last two years, we can totally see why.

Starting at £5.49 per tub, the gelato is limited edition and on sale while stocks last. It's made in Hackney by chefs Enrico Pavoncelli and Sam Newman, who sold their first ever handmade gelato at Brick Lane market in 2015, and now supply some of London's best Michelin star restaurants.

Hackney Gelato Hot Cross Bun Gelato, Ocado, £5.49

Ocado Hot Cross Bun Gelato

The gelato is handmade using a traditional Italian slow-churning technique, making it smoother and less icy than standard ice cream. Plus, ingredients wise, it is made from real hot cross buns and fresh milk, using and less cream than ice cream, which in turn makes it lower in fat. Sold yet?

Tubs are available in 500ml sizes and are suitable for vegetarians. If you're not sure what to expect, picture a creamy mix of juicy sultanas, spicy cinnamon hot cross bun flavour, candied fruit and salted butter. For the ultimate Easter treat (to add to your stash of new Toney's chocolate Easter eggs), sub your usual butter for gelato and slather on a freshly toasted hot cross bun. Drool.

Kerry Barker, buying manager at Ocado, said: 'We know that our customers enjoy adding Easter fare to their basket, so we’re delighted to offer an exciting new option this year. Working with small, artisan brands like Hackney Gelato enables us to offer exclusive and innovative new products and flavours like this limited edition Hot Cross Bun Gelato, which we’re sure will become a new Easter favourite with our customers.'

On your marks, get set...

Senior Health and Sustainability Editor

Ally Head is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health and Sustainability Editor, nine-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner. Day-to-day, she heads up all strategy for her pillars, working across commissioning, features, and e-commerce, reporting on the latest health updates, writing the must-read wellness content, and rounding up the genuinely sustainable and squat-proof gym leggings worth *adding to basket*. She's won a BSME for her sustainability work, regularly hosts panels and presents for events like the Sustainability Awards, and is a stickler for a strong stat, too, seeing over nine million total impressions on the January 2023 Wellness Issue she oversaw. Follow Ally on Instagram for more or get in touch.