Because not only is extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, delicious, it’s also good for us. The oil is extracted from good-quality olives by a mechanical process without the use of chemicals or excessive heat, to ensure that it retains its nutritional value. 

Among other health benefits, it’s rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which can help lower your blood LDL (bad) cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in your diet. And studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil may have additional beneficial effects on blood pressure and chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The sheer variety of olive oil brands available in the supermarket, online and from specialty retailers is another good indication of how much we love consuming the stuff. And with prices ranging from just over a dollar per 100mL up to $4.40 per 100mL, there are options for different budgets.

To help you find the best extra virgin olive oil, we selected 30 of the top selling varieties and put them through a variety of sensory and chemical tests, first to determine if they all meet the criteria for extra virgin olive oil, and secondly, to find out which oils taste the best.

Here are the top picks from our testing.

• Best Australia extra virgin olive oil
• Best Spanish and Italian extra virgin olive oil
• Best value extra virgin olive oil
• What makes olive oil ‘extra virgin’?
• Top five tips for choosing and using olive oil

Best Australian extra virgin olive oil

Australia produces a small fraction of the world’s olive oil, but our oil and producers have built a solid reputation for freshness, quality and consistency. Of the 13 oils we are recommending in this review, seven are Australian. If you want to support local growers, these are the top scoring Aussie oils in our testing.

Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil Classic Flavour

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 80%
• Price: $25 for 750mL ($3.33 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Fruity herbaceous aromas transfer well to the palate. Buttery mouthfeel. Late building chilli pungency that lingers.”
• Need to know: A consistently high-quality oil, Cobram Estate Classic was recommended when we last tested oils in 2021 and 2017. It’s available in 375mL, 500mL (Aldi only) and 750mL bottles, as well as a 3L tin.

Mount Zero Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 79%
• Price: $19.50 for 500mL ($3.90 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Delicate dry herb aromas carry through to a buttery mouthfeel, with sweet almond notes softening the herbaceous edge, creating a balanced and pleasant finish.”
• Need to know: This premium boutique oil is available online directly from the retailer or via specialty food stores.

Aldi The Olive Tree Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Classic Flavour

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 78%
• Price: $13.99 for 750 ml ($1.87 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Delicate herbaceous aroma transferring to a more medium intensity on the palate. Notes of tobacco leaf, menthol, with a sweet creamy mouth feel. An element of astringency with a pungency lingering to a ginger twist.”
• Need to know: Not only is this oil one of our top scorers, it’s the cheapest Australian EVOO  we tested. It was also recommended last time we tested olive oil back in 2021.

Best Spanish and Italian extra virgin olive oil

Many Australians have grown up with Mediterranean food traditions and may like to choose Spanish or Italian olive oils. Spain is the world’s largest olive oil producer, and its scale allows many Spanish oils to be sold at very competitive prices. For shoppers looking for a good-value everyday oil, imported products can sometimes offer a lower cost per litre than premium Australian oils.

Monini Classico Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 88%
• Country of origin: Italy
• Price: $22 for 750 ml ($2.93 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Delicate floral aromas are evident on the nose. Fresh green notes and salad leaf characters lead to spice and pepper on the palate. Creamy and smooth, with good transfer and a thick, well-balanced mouthfeel. A variety of flavours linger harmoniously, resulting in an elegant and abundant oil.”
• Need to know: Available at Coles and Woolworths, this is our top scoring oil and the only one in our review to receive a Gold medal level rating.

Villa Rossi Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 83%
• Country of origin: Italy
• Price: $35 for 1L ($3.50 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Aromas of fruit, flowers and grass combine in a light to medium nose with other elements of olive fruit and lemon on the palate. Good length of persistence with balanced bitterness and pungency. Harmonious.”
• Need to know: Available at Harris Farm.

Moro Primero Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 78%
• Country of origin: Spain
• Price: $27 for 1L ($2.70 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Subtle hints of tropical fruit and wild mint. Good transfer with clean creamy mouthfeel. Balanced bitterness and pungency with white pepper lingering.”
• Need to know: The performance of this oil has dramatically improved since we last tested it in 2021 when it received a ����Vlog Expert Rating of just 54%.

Carbonell Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 78%
• Country of origin: Spain
• Price:  $26 for 1L ($2.60 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Aroma of tropical fruit, passionfruit, pineapple transfer well to the palate, with hints of sage and eucalyptus. Menthol and astringency that subsides while the pungency builds; a lingering peppery finish.”

Woolworths Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 78%
• Country of origin: Spain
• Price:  $9 for 500 mL ($1.80 per 100mL)
• Tasting notes: “Native mint and some meadow grass carried through to palate. Nice balanced bitterness and pungency. Short clean finish.”

Best value extra virgin olive oil

Olive oil can be pricey, so if you’re going through a few bottles, you may like to consider these picks that we rate as best value in our test. They score at least 75% in our review and all cost under $2 per 100mL.

Woolworths Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 78%
• Country of origin: Spain
• Price: $9 for 500mL ($1.80 per 100mL)

Woolworths Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 76%
• Country of origin: Australia
• Price: $19 for 1L ($1.90 per 100mL)

Aldi The Olive Tree Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Classic Flavour

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 78%
• Country of origin: Australia
• Price: $13.99 for 750 ml ($1.87 per 100mL)

What makes olive oil ‘extra virgin’?

For an olive oil to be classified as extra virgin it must meet certain chemical criteria and be free from taste defects as determined by an accredited sensory panel, according to the International Olive Council (IOC). 

We carried out sensory analysis and three different chemical tests of the oils using IOC-approved methods – tests that are designed to check for signs of:

• fruit damage 
• poor harvesting operations
• poor storage of fruit or oil before processing or bottling
• refining (such as bleaching or deodorising)
• deterioration due to ageing 
• deterioration due to poor storage of the bottled oil. 

Any of these issues could mean the oil isn’t of extra virgin quality when you buy it – even if it’s within its labelled best-before date. 

More about our testing

Our test was carried out for ����Vlog at the Oil Testing Service (OTS), NSW Department of Primary Industry Laboratory Services, Wagga Wagga. The OTS chemical testing laboratory and olive oil organoleptic (sensory) panel are accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and the International Olive Council (IOC).

The OTS purchases the olive oil samples directly from retailers according to strict purchasing protocols, which include keeping samples out of direct sunlight and avoiding temperature fluctuation during transit and delivery. 

Once received at the lab, samples are maintained in a controlled environment according to best practice guidelines. At the time of testing each oil has a minimum of five months to go before its best-before date indicated on the label.

Oils undertake both chemical and sensory tests, and need to pass both to be classified as extra virgin olive oil. The sensory tests include a show judging-style tasting, where four trained tasters taste the oils ‘blind’ and award points for aroma (olfactory sensations), flavour/palate (gustatory sensations) and overall impression. 

Each oil is graded as Gold (excellent oil), Silver (very good oil), Bronze (good oil) or no medal, which correspond to the ����Vlog Expert Rating score in our review.

Top five tips for choosing and using olive oil

• Buy the freshest oil you can. Where possible, purchase from stores likely to have a high turnover, and look for a “harvested on” date, as best-before dates aren’t necessarily a good indicator of freshness.
• Don’t buy oils from stores where they’ve been displayed near heat sources (such as refrigerator motors) or in a shop window where they’re exposed to direct sunlight.
• Store in a cool dark place at home (i.e. not next to the stove/oven/window).
• Keep your oil tightly stoppered, avoiding exposure to air as much as possible. 
• Use it in a timely manner, preferably within six months of opening. As a rule of thumb, buy a container size that matches your monthly consumption.

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Cooking oils are derived from a dizzying array of plant sources, from avocado or canola to peanut or sunflower, and are often labelled with different descriptors such as “light” or “cold-pressed”. 

Some oils are good options for baking while others are better for frying or drizzling over salad. 

And while all cooking oils are a combination of different types of fats (see ‘Good’ and ‘bad’ fats), the varying proportions of these fats in an oil make some healthier than others.

So when it comes to choosing a cooking oil, which one should you use, and when?

On this page:

• What are the different types of cooking oils
• Cooking oil terminology explained
• ‘Good’ and ‘bad’ fats
• How to dispose of cooking oils

What are the different types of cooking oils

We use cooking oils in a wide variety of ways. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to buy one of every type, as some are versatile and multipurpose. 

To help you decide which oil(s) you should keep in your pantry, we’ve summarised the key features of some of the more common oils you’ll find on supermarket shelves.

Almond oil

Almond oil is a good source of vitamin E, high in monounsaturated fat and comparatively low in saturated fat, so it’s a good heart-friendly choice. It has a strong nutty flavour and aftertaste. It’s a low-heat oil, so it’s best used to drizzle over vegetables, in salad dressings, or to make mayonnaise.

Avocado oil

High in monounsaturated fat, but comparatively low in polyunsaturated fat avocado oil is packed with fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E, and also contains B-group vitamins. It’s green in colour with a mild flavour and pleasant aftertaste. It’s a low-heat cooking oil and a great addition to salads, poultry and seafood. But it can be more expensive than other oils.

Canola oil

Canola oil is high in monounsaturated fat, low in saturated fats and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s versatile for both low and high-heat cooking, and is light in flavour, allowing the food flavours to dominate. While it’s comparatively inexpensive it’s also one of the more highly refined oils. If you’re looking for an oil with fewer processing steps an unrefined, cold-pressed oil may be a better option.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil has a slight nutty flavour and works well in both savoury and sweet dishes. It’s particularly popular in vegan cooking and can replace dairy products to make pastry and creamy desserts. It has a long shelf life, but it’s very high in saturated fat.

Grapeseed oil

Grapeseed oil is high in polyunsaturated fats, and a rich source of vitamin E. It’s a good multi-purpose oil with a light, pleasant taste that brings out the flavours of the foods being cooked. 

Macadamia oil

High in monounsaturated fat but comparatively low in polyunsaturated fat, macadamia oil has a distinct nutty flavour. It’s a good base for salad dressings, marinades and for adding flavour to baking recipes and stir-fry dishes.

Mustard oil

Widely used in Northern Indian cooking, mustard oil is a good source of monounsaturated fats. It has a distinctive strong flavour and very nutty aftertaste so you need to be careful when cooking with it so as not to overpower the rest of the dish.

Olive oil

A good source of monounsaturated fats, olive oil is a key ingredient in the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. It’s a versatile oil that’s great for cooking, as well as for dressing salads or creating marinades. For the best quality, and highest amounts of antioxidants, look for ‘extra virgin’ varieties. We’ve tested extra virgin olive oils, find out which are the best.

Palm oil

Palm oil is a vegetable oil commonly used in ultra-processed, calorie-dense foods and fast foods. Its low-cost production makes it a cheaper option for manufacturers but it has also raised a number of environmental concerns, particularly around deforestation. However, more sustainable palm oil options do exist – look for RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification. Palm oil also poses health concerns with its high saturated fat content, at about 47-50%, making it a less healthy option. Currently there is no obligation to label the presence of palm oil in foods, it can be labelled simply as ‘vegetable oil’.

Peanut oil

Peanut oil is widely used in Asian cuisine and works well for high temperature cooking, especially for frying and stir-frying. If you’re cooking for guests, check no-one has a peanut allergy before using the oil.

Rice bran oil

Rice bran oil is praised for its heart healthy antioxidant profile, heat stability and neutral flavour. It’s also a good source of vitamin E. It’s a clean-tasting versatile oil ideal for all types of cooking including baking, grilling and deep frying.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is rich in vitamins E and K, low in saturated fats and is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It’s a versatile oil, suitable for cooking at various temperatures. It’s also comparatively good value for money.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is usually a blend of canola and soybean oil, and is comparatively inexpensive. Both palm oil and coconut oil are sometimes disguised in processed foods behind the catch-all ‘vegetable oil’ label, so worth noting if you’re trying to avoid them.

Cooking oil terminology explained

Who knew cooking oils could be so complicated? Here’s an explainer of some of the more common claims and terms that appear on labels.

• Cold-pressed oils aren’t extracted using excessive heat. As a result, they generally have a stronger flavour and are higher in antioxidants such as vitamin E and polyphenols.
• All cooking oils are cholesterol-free, as they’re derived from plant sources that naturally have no cholesterol.
• Lite/Light/Extra light on Australian oils means the oil is lighter in flavour and/or colour, not lower in kilojoules.
• Extra virgin olive oil is extracted from the first pressing of olives. It yields the best-tasting and lowest acidity oil, and therefore comes with a higher price tag. It’s ideal for use in salad dressings, drizzling over cooked pasta or char-grilled vegetables.

Smoke point vs oxidative stability

The smoke point of an oil refers to the level of heat it can withstand before it begins to visibly burn and smoke, at which point its flavour, aroma and appearance can change. Alternatively, oxidative stability refers to how well an oil can withstand reacting with oxygen before it degrades and forms harmful compounds under heat affecting the nutritional quality and safety of the oil. 

Previously, smoke point was the main indicator when choosing an oil for high heat cooking like deep frying. However, research suggests the oxidative stability of an oil is a more important determining factor.

‘Good’ and ‘bad’ fats

Fats are the body’s most concentrated source of energy and help protect and insulate your vital organs. 

They also allow fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) to be absorbed and provide essential fatty acids, which are important building blocks for the brain, eyes and nervous tissues. 

While all fats supply the same amount of energy (1g of fat provides about 37kJ), not all fats are created equal, and a higher consumption of some can be better (or worse) for your health. 

So what are the different types?

• Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (which include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) are often referred to as ‘heart-healthy’ as they can reduce levels of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, especially when substituted for less healthy fats such as saturated fat. LDL is considered the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to the narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. 
• Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high cholesterol, raising levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Replacing dietary saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Trans fats behave similarly to saturated fat in that they raise levels of LDL cholesterol, but they tend to also lower levels of the ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, making them even more damaging. While rarely found in nature, they’re formed when liquid unsaturated vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated or ‘hardened’ during processing so can sometimes be found in commercial ultra processed foods including baked goods, and some oils used for commercial frying.

Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that total fats account for 20–35% of your daily kilojoule intake, with less than 10% coming from saturated and trans fats.

There are a number of dietary choices you can make that can help achieve this, such as avoiding ultra processed foods and fast foods which can be high in saturated and trans fats, and including more nuts and seeds in your diet by adding them to stir-fries and salads, for example.

And when it comes to oils and spreads, you can replace those that contain predominantly saturated fats (such as butter and coconut or palm oil) with options that contain predominantly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (such as olive or sunflower-based oils and spreads, nut butters/pastes and avocado).

How to dispose of cooking oils

It’s important not to pour leftover cooking oil down the drain. Not only can oil adhere to the walls of pipes and cause blockages but can also damage wastewater systems and pollute waterways.

Instead let the oil cool after cooking, and once it has solidified, scrape it into your general waste bin. You could also use absorbent materials like paper towels to soak up the oil before disposing it in the bin.

Some council areas permit very small amounts of cooking oil to be placed in your green (food/garden organics) bin if it’s mixed/absorbed with paper towel and food waste to be composted. Check with your local council.

Tips for reducing oily waste

• Use less cooking oil where possible. Using alternatives to deep frying (e.g. air frying, stir-frying, grilling or baking) will reduce your need for oil.
• If you’re cooking with a deep fryer, strain the oil after each use and store it in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place until the next use. Depending on what you’re cooking, you could potentially reuse the oil multiple times.
• Scrape or wipe oil and grease from utensils and plates into the bin prior to washing with water.

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Easter is an especially busy time of year for chocolate retailers, as a tempting range of bunnies, eggs and chocolate-filled hampers come on the market, bringing with it a spike in chocolate sales. 

But behind the Easter packaging and colourful foil wrapping there’s a dark side. Around 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa. It’s estimated that more than 1.56 million children and young people under the age of 18 work as labourers in cacao farming in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana alone. This number is estimated to have increased 15–20% during the pandemic.

Some of these children are trafficked; many are working under harmful labour conditions. And it’s the cocoa they produce that ends up in the chocolate we eat.

The good news is that in recent years there’s been an increase in consumer demand for ethical and sustainable production methods, which has resulted in growth of certified chocolate products – including ethical Easter eggs.

Which chocolate Easter eggs are more ethical?

Due to the uptick in consumer concern around climate change, sustainable agriculture and working conditions for small-scale farmers, more brands have been entering the ethical market, putting independent programs in place or independently certifying their chocolate products. 

As consumer awareness increases, some retailers such as Aldi, Coles and Woolworths have also introduced their own certified chocolate and cocoa offerings. 

What’s considered ethical might be different for different people. For the purposes of this article, we’re applying the term to those chocolate products that have been certified by one of the primary certification bodies available in Australia: Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, or Cocoa Horizons.

While certification may not be perfect, it is often a positive step towards sustainability, especially when included as a part of other initiatives.

Certified chocolate and Easter eggs

So as Easter rolls around again, which brands have certified chocolate options available?

• Aldi’s Dairy Fine, Choceur and Moser Roth chocolate ranges are Rainforest Alliance- or Fairtrade-certified.
• Bennetto Natural Foods Co is B Corp-Certified, works with charitable partners and offsets their carbon emissions. Their chocolate is Fairtrade-certified, organic, vegan and gluten free.
• Chocolatier Australia‘s chocolate eggs are Rainforest Alliance-certified.
• Coles own brand cocoa products are Fairtrade- and Rainforest Alliance/UTZ-certified. They also use certification schemes such as Cocoa Horizons to reduce their impact on the environment.
• Darrell Lea sources 100% of its cocoa from sustainable sources through a partnership with Cocoa Horizons.
• Ferrero has 100% independently certified fairtrade cocoa in their chocolate products, with certifications from Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Cocoa Horizons.
• Haigh’s sources 80% of its cocoa from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms. 
• Koko Black sustainably sources its cocoa through Cocoa Horizons.
• Lindt sources all of its cocoa through the Rainforest Alliance certification program as of 2026. They also have their own farming programs in place to help reduce harm in their supply chains.
• Nestle has their own Cocoa Plan and in Australia all the cocoa they use in local production is Rainforest Alliance-certified. This can be found in KitKat, MilkyBar and Aero bars.
• Pico chocolate blocks are Fairtrade-certified, vegan and organic.
• Whittakers’ Ghanaian cacao beans are 100% Rainforest Alliance-certified – you’ll find this logo on chocolate that contains these beans.
• Woolworths’ Homebrand chocolate blocks are certified by Rainforest Alliance/UTZ.

Mondelez (Cadbury), Mars and Hershey have their own programs in place to reduce harm in their cocoa supply chains, although this ethically and sustainably sourced cocoa may not be in all products.

Be Slavery Free Chocolate Scorecard

Advocacy coalition Be Slavery Free works with a number of universities and NGOs to produce an annual , which is released prior to Easter and can help inform your buying decisions. 

This list rates the most sustainable chocolate brands and Easter eggs against a number of categories, including deforestation, environmental impacts and climate action, child labour, traceability and transparency in supply chains, and living income for workers. 

“The Chocolate Scorecard is immensely helpful in showing where a huge number of companies are in their journey to sustainability,”  says Antonie Fountain of the VOICE Network, a watchdog and catalyst for a reformed cocoa sector.

The scorecard captures 90% of the global chocolate industry, and from 2023 the scorecard has also ranked retailers such as Kmart, Aldi, Costco and David Jones.

Each year Be Slavery Free also announces winners of a Good Egg Award and Rotten Egg Award. These awards reflect innovation in sustainability practices, or lack thereof. The 2026 Good Egg Awards were topped by Tony’s Chocolonely, with Mars winning the Gender Award recognising its work for supporting gender equality and reductions in child labour.

Mondelēz (Cadbury), was given the Bad Egg award due to a lack of transparency after failing to share any information for the awards. 

Fuzz Kitto, Co Director at Be Slavery Free says the Chocolate Scorecard is a helpful tool for shoppers.

“Consumers are being asked to swallow record chocolate prices, and shrinking products. The least they expect is chocolate free from slavery. The Chocolate Scorecard will help shoppers make smart purchases this Easter.”

The Scorecard and awards have helped encourage progress in the chocolate industry, with some brands vying to do better. 

For example In 2020, Godiva received a Rotten Egg Award for “failing to take responsibility for the conditions with which its chocolates are made despite making huge profits”. But the brand now states they are dedicated to “a sustainable and thriving cocoa industry where farmers prosper, communities are empowered, human rights are respected, and the environment is conserved” – although there are still improvements to be made. 

Nestle has also made progress in its practices, rising into the top 5 on the Scorecard in 2026. Lindt has risen from 20th in 2025 to 13th this year, while Mars and Ferrero have both dropped in the rankings.

Overall, 2026’s findings have shown improvements in transparency across the industry, with 82% of companies sharing data on child labour, compared to 45% in 2023. However there are still improvements to be made on deforestation, use of harmful pesticides and lifting farmers out of poverty.

“We can see that consumers are looking to make informed decisions and expect companies to act in an ethical way to eliminate child labour and to produce chocolate in a way that is sustainable for the planet,” says Andrew Wallis, CEO of Unseen, a UK charity working to eradicate human trafficking and modern slavery.

“Companies are responding to that. Normal people like you and me are making a difference and causing companies to change.” 

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Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate, but I don’t love paying more money for less of it, especially when it often tastes inferior to the original product it’s spawned from (hello Kit Kat eggs!). 

If you look past the pretty packaging and hollow hype, it’s clear the Easter Bunny and Big Choc are banking a sweet surcharge on our festive sugar rush. 

The worst offenders

Need some eggs-amples? Let’s start with that shady frog Freddo. At the time of writing, his 124g egg (which contains two Freddo treats inside) costs $11.50 at Woolworths, which equates to a unit price of $9.27 per 100g. 

By comparison, the usual 35g Freddo costs $2 at Woolies, or $5.71 per 100g. That’s a hefty hike of 62.35%, proving Freddo is pulling a fast one indeed. 

Over at Lindt, the EST (Easter Services Tax) is in full effect, with wildly different prices for 100g of milk chocolate. 

Their standard block costs $8.50 at Big W, while their famous gold bunny form sells for $12 for the same 100g weight. 

Okay, maybe the bunny’s cute ribbon and bell justifies the extra cost, but then there’s Lindt’s 93g milk chocolate ‘casket’ combo (containing one medium egg and 12 small eggs) which goes for a whopping $15, almost twice the price of the 100g block.

You can’t tell me whipping out an egg mould once a year justifies that kind of increase. 

It’s even more maddening when you realise some Easter items are losing weight at the same time (unlike me at Easter time). ����Vlog has exposed numerous cases of year-on-year “shrinkflation”, with popular products selling less chocolate for the same price, or even more. 

For example, in 2024, Cadbury Dairy Milk hollow eggs cost $12.50 for a 408g 24-egg pack ($3.06 per 100g). A year later, a box of 22 eggs cost more at $15 for 374g ($4.01 per 100g).

This year, a box costs $18 but it’s slimmed down again to 20 eggs at 340g ($5.29 per 100g). That’s a 73% increase in unit price over two years, with some serious Easter Ozempic going on too. 

Boycotting the Easter Bunny

It might all be worth it if these eggs actually tasted better than the original products, but let’s be honest, most don’t. We all know deep down that a Crunchie egg with its tiny honeycomb crumbs is no match for the delicious classic bar. 

How long will we put up with confectionery companies cashing in on our cacao-fuelled comas? Not to mention the extra packaging (aka landfill) this festive feasting generates, or the huge carbon miles some products clock up (the Lindt ‘casket’ is manufactured in Switzerland, Germany and Australia!). 

Maybe it’s time to boycott the Easter Bunny and demand a better deal because at the moment, these over-hyped, under-sized eggs aren’t worth shelling out for. 

In the meantime, I’m happily sticking to my old-school Crunchie bars.

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When you’re after an easy meal that doesn’t require too much preparation, a pack of premade beef burgers, some buns and a salad make for a quick dinner that won’t cost a fortune. And judging by the number of different burger patty varieties available at our supermarkets, many of us are choosing this option when we’re short on time and inspiration. 

To help you decide which beef patty deserves its place in your bun, we asked three experts to taste-test 14 different options available from the supermarket to help determine which one wins on flavour.

On this page:

• Top beef patties in our test
• Cheapest burger patties in our test
• Will you get better at the butcher?
• Ingredients in beef patties
• How we test beef patties
• Our expert testers

Top beef patties in our test

Of the 14 beef patties included in our blind taste test, two received a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 70% or more, earning them recommended status.

The most expensive product (per kilogram) in our review – the Coles Finest Coarse Ground Angus Burgers – earned the top score of 77%. The only other patty to be recommended was the Woolworths Chuck & Brisket Quarter Pound Beef Burgers, which scored 70%.

Coles Finest Coarse Ground Angus Burgers

����Vlog Expert Rating: 77%
Price per 300g pack: $9.00
Patties per pack: 2
Price per kg: $30

Experts say:

• “Raw product has a great overall appearance, and it looks nice and natural with evident fat. The cooked product has a very balanced, mild beef flavour.”
• “A nice, juicy product with a pleasant aroma.”

Woolworths Chuck & Brisket Quarter Pound Beef Burgers

����Vlog Expert Rating: 70%
Price per 454g pack: $9
Patties per pack: 4
Price per kg: $19.82

Experts say:

• “Raw product has visible mince strands. Lots of herbs. This looks less processed and more natural. When cooked it has a nice beefy flavour and seasoning is balanced.”

Cheapest burger patties in our test

While price is not always an indicator of performance, in this test there was some correlation. While the most expensive product per kilogram in our test was the top scorer, the cheapest burgers (all frozen varieties) earned the lowest scores. All of these products also contained the lowest percentages of beef.

Coles Simply Beef Patties

����Vlog Expert Rating: 10%
Price per 800g pack: $9.30
Patties per pack: 10
Price per kg: $11.63

Experts say:

• “Raw product is grey. The cooked product has an unbalanced flavour and crumby texture.”
• “Incredibly mushy, no beef flavour and tasted unnatural.”

Woolworths Beef Burgers

����Vlog Expert Rating: 10%
Price per 800g pack: $9.30
Patties per pack: 10
Price per kg: $11.63

Experts say:

• “It is a grey/white colour. So unappealing.”
• “The cooked aroma isn’t nice and it has a very unbalanced flavour.”

Aldi Taste Nation Homestyle Beef Patties

����Vlog Expert Rating: 23%
Price per 750g pack: $8.69
Patties per pack: 6
Price per kg: $11.59

Experts say:

• “Very unappealing raw product, grey in colour and nothing like beef.”
• “Texture is crumbly, flavour is unbalanced.”

While these frozen burger patties didn’t appeal to our judges, they are certainly a cheap alternative to fresh options and you may find it useful to have them in your freezer for emergencies.

Will you get better at the butcher?

If you have a butcher who makes their own beef patties, they may be worth a try. While we didn’t include any butcher’s products in our full comparison of supermarket products (since they didn’t come from a supermarket), we did ask our experts to try one beef patty sourced from an independent butcher. 

Although this product was the most expensive we gave our panel at $33.33/kg, it did earn the highest score (80%) of all the patties sampled. 

Another alternative is to make your own burger. These can be as simple to make as seasoning minced beef with salt and pepper, and shaping your meat into patties that match the shape of your bun. But recipes that include egg, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and an almost infinite number of flavourings abound.

Of course, if you’re short on time or simply don’t feel like doing much preparation, the supermarket or butcher options might be more appealing, even if you know that you can produce a better (or cheaper) result by making it yourself.

Ingredients in beef patties

The fresh patties in our test all contained more than 80% beef. Aldi’s Ready Set Cook Beef Burgers had the lowest percentage (83%) and the Woolworths Steakhouse Quarter Pound Beef Burgers had the highest (99%). 

None of the three frozen products we looked at contained more than 70% beef.

Other ingredients included water, seasonings and firming and binding agents such as flour, psyllium husk and bamboo fibre. 

Some of the patties also included flavourings such as onion, tomato, garlic and a mix of herbs and spices. Antioxidants and preservatives were also present in some of the products we included in our test.

How we test beef patties

Products

We included products labelled as beef patties and excluded any product that included a flavour description (garlic, pepper, or any herbs) or that was described as extra lean.

We chose products that are available nationally through at least one major supermarket chain. 

Tasting

Our experts inspected and tasted the samples blind (without knowing the brands) in a randomised order and rated the patties on flavour, texture, aroma and appearance. 

Scores

The ratings each product received were based on the scores for each aspect of the judging. The results were weighted as follows:

• Flavour: 50%
• Appearance: 15%
• Texture: 20%
• Aroma: 15%

We recommend products with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 70% or more. 

Our expert testers

Andrew Bligh has more than 25 years’ experience at Bringelly Pork and Bacon, where he is currently the manager. He has served as a judge through the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) and holds a Certificate III in Meat Retail. He has also completed advanced training in smallgoods and charcuterie production, food sensory evaluation and food safety. 

Yiota Papanicolaou is a butcher and owner of Dulwich Hill Gourmet Meats in Sydney. The family-owned business has been running since 1984. An expert in smoking and curing meats, Yiota, along with her husband George and children provide award-winning products including traditional and modern charcuterie. 

David Stössel has had a long career in hospitality and has worked closely with leading Australian Chef, Matt Moran, working as general manager at the two-hatted Aria Restaurant Brisbane before moving on to become director of food and dining for Chef Matt Moran and the Solotel Hospitality Group, working across venues including Aria Restaurant, Chiswick Restaurant, and Barangaroo House. He now leads Feather and Bone, Sydney’s leading ethical and sustainable butcher and providore.

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You might be juggling work and study, at home with a new baby, recovering from an illness or simply time-poor. Maybe you’re sick of trying to decide what’s for dinner week in and week out. Or perhaps cooking just isn’t your thing.

You could settle for eating toast or takeaways, but an increasingly popular alternative is to use a meal delivery service.

On this page:

• The meal delivery services we’ve tested
• Should you consider a meal delivery service?
• Food box delivery services – a user guide
• Prepared meal delivery services – a user guide
• How costs compare to supermarket prices
• How easy is it to cancel a subscription?
• Meal delivery services and food safety

What is a meal delivery service?

Meal delivery services are businesses that prepare ingredients for chosen recipes or provide meals that get delivered straight to your door. With easy-to-follow recipes or simple heating instructions, these services are marketed to consumers who need convenience. They reduce the amount of grocery shopping you’ll need to do, take the stress out of meal planning and meals can be ready with minimal preparation time. 

There are essentially two types of meal delivery services: 

• food box (meal kit) delivery services and 
• prepared meal delivery services. 

The meal delivery services we’ve tested

Our testers ordered and cooked food box meal kits from Dinnerly, Everyplate, HelloFresh, Marley Spoon, Pepper Leaf and QuiteLike in 2026. 

They also ordered prepared meals from Chefgood, Gourmet Dinner Service, Nourish’d, Providoor, Soulara, The Dinner Ladies, THR1VE, and Youfoodz. Prepared meals were last tested in 2024.

We rated the services for ease of ordering, presentation and temperature on delivery, ingredient freshness, recipe accuracy, taste and appearance and more. 

We also list prices, which are how much we paid for meal plans at the time of writing. For meal kits we purchased a family box which included three meals for four people. For prepared meals we purchased seven meals. Delivery is included in the price we list in our reviews, however, discounts applied at checkout are not included. 

For the food box meal kits we tested you can spend anywhere from $90 to $152 for the three family meals, while seven prepared meals can cost $87 to $201. It’s worth keeping an eye out for promotional price reductions and discount vouchers as they can offer significant savings, at least for your first order.

Best meal delivery service

To see the full results, take a look at our meal delivery services review.

Food box delivery services

Dinnerly

Meal choices each week:

• Over 100

Delivery area:

• ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, TAS, SA, WA

Good to know:

• Affiliated with Marley Spoon and is the cheaper meal kit option. 
• Recipe cards provided in the box. You can choose to go paperless easily in your account settings. 
• Ingredients are combined in the box, so you’ll need to sort them into meals. 
• Only 2- or 4-person meal options. 
• Pantry items (that the recipe assumes you already have) are listed in the full ingredient list but are marked with a small asterix which isn’t immediately obvious. 
• Food options for lunch, dinner, sides, snacks, drinks and desserts.
  

Everyplate

Meal choices each week:

• 27

Delivery area:

• NSW, VIC, ACT, QLD, WA
  

Good to know:

• Affiliated with HelloFresh and is the cheaper meal kit option. 
• Option to cater for 2, 4 or 6 people. 
• Option to add a fruit box, drinks, desserts and snacks to the meal kit. 
• Check what pantry staples you’ll need – they may not be regular food items you have in your cupboard or fridge. 
• Ingredients for all meals are combined in the box, so you’ll need to sort them before cooking.
• Senior and student discounts are available.
  

HelloFresh

Meal choices each week:

• Over 55

Delivery area:

• NSW, NT, QLD, SA, VIC, WA, ACT

Good to know:

• Option to cater for 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 people.
• There’s food options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and desserts. 
• Caters to a range of dietary requirements such as halal, paleo, vegan, keto and gluten free.
• There are many recipe filter options, such as protein type, kid-friendly, allergens and cuisine type.
• Ingredients for each meal are placed in separate bags for easy access to the ingredients. 
• Discounts are available for seniors.
• In previous years some members have commented about the lack of fresh produce, portions not being uniform and poor customer service. This year our experts encountered some chilled products measuring outside the safe temperature range.
  

MarleySpoon

Meal choices each week:

• Over 150

Delivery area:

• ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, TAS, SA, NT, WA

Good to know:

• It has one of the largest number of weekly food choices of the food box services we reviewed. 
• Ingredients for each meal are placed in separate bags for easy access to the ingredients.
• Option to opt out of printed recipe cards and go paperless.
• Food options for lunch, dinner, sides, snacks, drinks and desserts are available to add. 
• Only caters to 1, 2 or 4 people.  
• Caters to a range of dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, calorie conscious, carb conscious, low sodium and high protein.
• There are many recipe filter options, such as protein type, price, cook time and dish type.
  

PepperLeaf

Meal choices each week:

• 17

Delivery area:

• ACT, NSW, SA, VIC, QLD

Good to know:

• Meal plan options are available for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 people (minimum order requirement for one person is four meals).
• Free seasonal fruit added to the first two boxes when you sign up.
• Ingredients are divided into paper bags and grouped based on the recipes.
• Fewer meal options to choose from compared to other services.
• If you accidently add too many meals to your cart, you are unable to delete individual items. You’ll need to empty the cart and start again.
• The recipe card is OK, ingredients are not highlighted and there are multiple steps to follow in each. You need to keep flipping the card over to check ingredient quantities as they are not listed on the same side as the method.
• No list of equipment, so you need to read through the recipe to find out what is needed.
  

QuiteLike

Meal choices each week:

• 30

Delivery area:

• NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT

Good to know:

• Only caters for 2 or 4 people. 
• Add-on grocery options for lunch, dinner, sides, snacks, drinks and desserts.
• Recipes are easy to follow with not too many steps.
• There are meal options to cater to dietary needs such as pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan and meat-free. 
• Ingredients are divided into paper bags and grouped based on the recipes. 
• The recipe card is also accessible online.

Cost (including delivery)

• One-off subscription box (3 meals for 4 people): $165

Meal choices each week: 

• 15 

Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details: 

• Recipe cards detail what you’ll need including equipment, what’s provided by the company, cooking time and any allergen information as well as the spice degree of the recipe. 

 Delivery area: 

• ACT, NSW, VIC 

Packaging: 

• We rated the packaging as very good as most of it is recyclable or reusable. 
• Reusable herb bags are used to help keep produce fresh. 
• Insulated padded bags can be recycled in your curbside recycling bin. 
• Ice blocks can be reused otherwise the gel can be drained and the satchel can be recycled with soft plastics. 
• Company offers to pick up the rubbish. 
• Simply leave the box with insulated cool bags and ice blocks out the front and they’ll collect it when your next order is delivered. 

Good to know: 

• Limited menu selection. 
• The method on the recipe cards could be improved and we found recipe times to not always be accurate. 
• Two recipe cards were missing from our delivery and were accessed online. 
• Some of the ingredients weren’t fresh and one meal was not great tasting or well-presented. 
• Ingredients are divided into paper bags and grouped based on the recipes. 
• Caters to special dietary needs; gluten free, dairy free, nut free options and vegetarian. 
• Options to include lunch, sides, snacks, fruit, alcohol (cocktails, wine and beer). 
• Caters for 2, 4 or 6 people.
• Check pantry staples you may need for the recipe, they may not be regular food items you have in your cupboard or fridge.
  

Prepared meal delivery services

Providoor

Number of meal choices each week:

• 30

Delivery areas:

• NSW, VIC, QLD

Good to know:

• The service and delivery was excellent. 
•  Meals are frozen. 
• Delicious meals but only part of the meal is provided in most cases, sides like vegetables, rice, noodles and pasta are needed to complete the meal. 
• No contract or subscription, pay as you go. 
• Very good heating and cooking instructions are provided. 
• Other items such as bundles, entrees, desserts, sides, to share small bites, desserts can be ordered. 
• Some meals need to be defrosted before cooking and some meals can take up to 40 minutes to prepare.
  

The Dinner Ladies

Number of meal choices each week:

• 72

Delivery areas:

• NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA

Good to know:

• The Dinner Ladies provide frozen home cooked meals that are generously sized and look presentable. 
• No contract or subscription, pay as you go. 
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider. 
• Dinner meals are available with 3, 4 and 6 serves. 
• A small amount of preparation is required and in some cases some meals might require you to have pantry staples like pasta, rice, vegetables or eggs. 
• Very good cooking and heating instructions are provided. 
• Some meals need to be defrosted before cooking and some meals can take up to 40 minutes to prepare.
  

Gourmet Dinner Service

Number of meal choices each week:

• Over 52

Delivery areas:

• NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT

Good to know:

• Meals are frozen.
• The service and delivery was excellent. 
• Delicious meals although portion sizes are small. 
• No contract or subscription, pay as you go. 
• Other meals such as Entertaining, Family, Salads, Side dishes, Desserts, Finer foods, Meal boxes and Christmas meals can be ordered.
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider. 
• Some meals need to be defrosted before cooking and some meals can take up to 40 minutes to prepare.
  

THR1VE

Number of meal choices each week:

• 40

Delivery areas:

• NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, WA
  

Good to know:

• Healthy meals with low carbohydrates. 
• There’s a good variety to choose from with a quick turnaround on delivery. 
• Other meals such as snacks, drinks, desserts, soups and bundles can be ordered. 
• Individual meals only (no family meal options) and meals can be frozen. 
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider. 
• You can either subscribe or do a one-time purchase. 
• Meals are only OK in taste and appearance.
• Heating instructions are limited.
  

Chefgood

Number of meal choices each week:

• Over 40

Delivery areas:

• NSW, VIC, ACT, QLD, SA, TAS

Good to know:

• Good variety of meals to choose from with chef-inspired meal choices. 
• The service and delivery was only OK as meals were delivered early and left outside for 8 hours – temperatures were above the safe range. 
• Portion size is only OK. 
• Presentation is lacking, not all meals looked appetising. 
• Other meals such as breakfast, snacks and drinks can be ordered. 
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider. 
• Heating instructions are limited.
  

Nourish’d

Number of meal choices each week:

• 20

Delivery areas:

• QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, SA, TAS

Good to know:

• Meat dishes have a limited amount of meat. 
• Meals are only OK in taste and appearance. 
• Service and delivery is very good. 
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider. 
• Other meals such as breakfast, sides, snacks, drinks and desserts can be ordered. The meal categories include: Breakfast, Soul Foods, Snacks & Sides, Drinks and Next Week’s Meals. 
• Regular, large and extra large serve size meals are available. 
• Individual meals only (no family meal options) and meals can be frozen. 
• Heating instructions are limited.
  

YouFoodz

Number of meal choices each week: 

• 60  

Delivery areas: 

• NT, QLD, NSW, VIC, ACT, WA, TAS, SA

Good to know:

• Meals were only OK – the presentation didn’t look very appetising with unevenly chopped vegetables and the protein was cut into small pieces and usually covered in a sauce. 
• Some foods had mixed together in the container and flavour was acceptable but not fresh-tasting. 
• Instructions for heating were not suitable for all microwaves and there was no standing time so food was mostly under 60°C. 
• The service and delivery was very good. 
• Meals are available in some supermarkets and there’s a lot of variety to choose from. 
• Snacks, desserts, fruit boxes and soups are also available to order. 
• Individual meals only (no family meal options)
• Meals can be frozen.
• There’s an app available to download to manage orders.

Soulara

Number of meal choices each week: 

• 39 

Delivery areas: 

• NSW, SA, VIC, ACT, QLD, NT, WA, TAS 

Good to know: 

• Meals looked bland and not very appetising. 
•  Presentation was lacking. 
• Medium and large-sized meals are available however we found the serving size of the medium meals to be very small. 
• 100% plant-based and vegan friendly. 
• Other options like snacks, drinks and bundles are available. 
• Heating instructions are limited. 
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider. 
• Individual meals only (no family meal options)
• Meals can be frozen.
  

Should you consider a meal delivery service?

����Vlog home economist, Fiona Mair and kitchen expert Chantelle Dart, have seen the evolution of meal delivery services over many years of testing and have  found a lot to like in the services we’ve reviewed.

“Meal kit services like HelloFresh and QuiteLike are predominantly marketed to time-poor families. But they can also be a great way for anyone to learn how to cook,” Fiona says.

They’ve found that the recipes are generally simple and relatively easy to follow, the ingredients are already portioned, there’s usually a utensil or tool list of what you need in your kitchen, plus a list of the pantry staples you’ll need. 

“After a month of preparing a few meals from a meal delivery service you’ll have a repertoire of recipes under your belt that will give you confidence to shop and cook for yourself. You’ll also become familiar with flavours and cuisines that you may not have tried before,” she adds. 

When it comes to prepared meal delivery services like YouFoodz and Soulara Fiona says, “these are convenient for people who are time poor and not so interested in cooking a meal”. 

You’re usually receiving single-serve prepared meals that only require heating in the microwave. You can even make a large order which will help to reduce the price and stockpile them in the freezer for later use.

Meal options

Chantelle says a big point of difference between these services is the range and variety of meals they provide.

“Some services do really well in catering to a wide variety of customers,” she explains.

Services that allow you to filter based on your specific needs and offer extras in terms of lunch, snack and dessert options, might win over time-poor customers who are looking for a service that does it all.

Some companies even offer “premium” meals for an additional cost. Chantelle says, “this can feel misleading to consumers who initially sign up with a set idea of how much their meals will cost for the week”.

PepperLeaf and Marley Spoon are the only services to specifically cater to one person, but there are minimum order requirements. Marley Spoon has a minimum spend of $49.99 and you’ll need to order at least four recipes with PepperLeaf.

Food box delivery services – a user guide

Benefits

• minimal food waste
• easy to follow recipes
• ingredients are pre-measured

If you enjoy cooking but meal planning gives you a headache, you’re lacking inspiration and sick of always cooking the same boring staples, or you find it hard to make time for the weekly shop, then food box delivery services such as HelloFresh, Marley Spoon, Dinnerly, Pepper Leaf and QuiteLike can be a good option. Each week these subscription services deliver recipes and the precise quantity of the predominantly fresh ingredients you’ll need to cook them.

There’s minimal food waste associated with these types of services, as you’re being supplied with the exact quantities of ingredients required for each recipe. This is particularly beneficial with ingredients you’re unlikely to use frequently. For example, if a recipe calls for a pinch of paprika, that’s what you’ll get in the box. You don’t need to buy a whole bottle that you’re unlikely to use again. 

The recipes are designed to be simple and easy to follow, and cooking with pre-measured ingredients means you can turn the meal around in less time than if you were starting from scratch. Many of these services also aim to use locally sourced Australian ingredients.

Tips and traps

• When using these types of services you’ll need to have a range of everyday ingredients which frequently feature in the recipes. These include pantry staples such as soy sauce, white vinegar, salt and pepper, honey, oil, butter, milk, eggs, flour and sugar – so it’s worth checking what they are and whether you have them before your first delivery so you’re not caught short.

• When signing up to these services, some companies will collect personal information upfront before you can even view what’s on offer. Dinnerly for example, will only let you view menu choices once you’ve entered all your details including credit card information. In other cases only a minimum amount of details are needed initially and card details are only required once meals are selected. 
• Subscription-based services usually have pre-selected meals they have chosen for you. If you want to customise your order you’ll need to remember to delete the pre-selection meals otherwise you could find yourself being charged for them. 
• The amount of packaging (each pre-measured ingredient comes in its own bag or container) can be a deterrent. 
• Choosing a delivery window where you’re likely to be home to collect it soon after delivery is important for ensuring food stays within the safe temperature range.
  

Prepared meal delivery services – a user guide

Benefits

• Minimal preparation required
• Can stockpile meals and keep in the freezer for future use

Services such as Youfoodz, The Dinner Ladies, Soulara, Providoor and Nourish’d sell predominantly fully prepared meals. Ordering is simply a matter of choosing from the range of meals displayed on their websites, and the chilled or frozen meals will arrive at your door in a coolbox on your nominated delivery date.

Tips and traps

• The meals from some of these services focus predominantly on the protein component, with nary a vegetable in sight. They suggest you add a salad or vegetable side dish – and usually offer these to buy – but this will obviously bump up the total cost. This is worth bearing in mind when comparing meal prices. 
• Some of these services offer a good selection of freshly prepared, chilled meals, while others sell predominantly frozen meals. If this difference is important to you, make sure you’re clear on what they’re offering before you order. 
• The chilled meals on offer are usually “wet meals” like braised meats, curries, pasta, stir fry, rice and stews that are usually covered in a sauce or gravy. This is so the food doesn’t dry out when heated in the microwave and so each component can heat as evenly as possible. Fiona says, “these types of meals that are soft with minimal texture are foods you could quickly become sick of. You may not want to be eating them week on week”. 
• Other services like Providoor and The Dinner Ladies provide ready-made meals that are frozen and have options to serve 1–4 people. In some cases these meals aren’t complete and you may need to finish them off with pantry staples like pasta or rice and may want to add a salad or vegetables to complete the meal. Heating instructions may require an oven, cooktop or microwave but these options allow for a variety of textures which in some cases lead to better flavour.
  

How costs compare to supermarket prices

Food boxes

In the past we’ve compared the price of a HelloFresh box with the equivalent ingredients needed to make the recipes from Coles and Woolworths. 

We found you don’t actually pay much less at a supermarket, and sometimes you pay more once you factor in delivery costs if you’re ordering online. 

But in reality when doing your weekly shop you’re more likely to take advantage of special offers or buy larger packs which are better value for money – a 1kg tub of Farmers Union Greek Style natural yoghurt (70c per 100g) rather than a 240g tub ($1.42 per 100g), for example. And as long as you end up using the leftover ingredients before they reach their use-by or best-before dates and need to be discarded, then it’s cheaper to do the shopping yourself.

Prepared meals 

Some services like Youfoodz and Soulara are available to purchase in select supermarkets. If you can find them in the supermarket you’ll be taking away the delivery cost which is added to any online orders. 

How easy is it to cancel a subscription?

While some of these services are easy to order from, the same can’t always be said for when it’s time to cancel the subscription. 

Chantelle says, “some companies design their cancellation process in a way that can be confusing for customers”.

The most important thing is to make sure you cancel your subscription before the necessary cut-off date. “Failing to do so will result in you being charged and another order being placed,” she says. In December 2025, the for allegedly misleading consumers over subscriptions.

Some other points to be mindful of include:

• The web page might be overcrowded with offers and deals and the cancellation button is not always prominent. 
• In most cases customers will be asked to select a reason as to why they are cancelling and may need to confirm the cancellation multiple times.
• Take the time to read through all of the selections and make sure you follow through to the end.
• If you’ve successfully cancelled you should receive a follow up email to confirm the cancellation and your account status should say “not active”.

And unless you unsubscribe from all emails and communication, be prepared to continue to receive emails and texts with special offers to entice you to reactivate your account.

Meal delivery services and food safety

With lots of chilled items involved in meal delivery services, it’s important  to ensure perishable items like protein and dairy stay adequately chilled. 

The food temperature danger zone is 5°– 60°C, as bacteria multiplies most rapidly within this temperature range. 

Meal delivery companies are responsible for maintaining safe food temperatures, preventing cross-contamination during packing, maintaining hygiene standards, clearly communicating allergen information and ensuring packaging is secure against tampering. 

Each service provides cooler bags and ice packs in their boxes, but delivery windows vary and boxes can potentially stay outside for an extended period of time before they are collected.

You’ll usually receive a text with tracking details the night before and some send another text once the box has been delivered.

Consumers also share the responsibility of minimising the risk of foodborne illness. Chantelle says it’s important to collect your box as soon as possible after delivery to ensure chilled items stay within a safe temperature range. “This is especially an issue on a hot day,” she says. 

Ensure you:

• Inspect the food on arrival: Packaging should be intact and items should feel chilled. Raw meats and dairy should be sealed well so as not to come in contact with any fresh ingredients.
• Store foods as soon as possible: Ensure you refrigerate or freeze perishable items immediately.
• Discard defective items: Any items that arrive warm, leaking, with damaged seals or past their use-by date should be discarded. If there are any issues or if food appears unsafe, contact the manufacturer.
• Choose an appropriate delivery window: Choose a time when you are likely to be able to take the delivery immediately or soon after. In warmer weather food can quickly go into the danger zone.

Are meal delivery services suitable for kids?

If you’re planning on using a meal delivery service to feed a family that includes young kids, you might want to proceed with caution. While many of the meal delivery services offer “family” or “kid-friendly” options, meals aren’t always guaranteed to win over a fussy toddler. 

“Most companies have a wide variety of meal options, making it more likely for you to find a meal your child likes,” says Chantelle. 

“EveryPlate also has ‘little chef’ recipes, marketed as family-friendly to promote getting the kids involved in the cooking process.”

“Once you’ve found meals your kids enjoy, you can save them as a favourite to re-order,” she adds.

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After all, they’re only tiny, right? And it’s easy to ignore the fact that you’ve eaten 10 of them in one sitting. That’s guilt-free indulgence in our books. 

With lots of different chocolate mini egg options on our supermarket shelves, we set out to find out which product wins on flavour.

And the winner is…

In a clear victory, the Cadbury eggs received the highest number of votes – 20 of the 27 tasters chose it as their favourite. Coles was next with six votes, Woolworths received one vote and there were no votes for the Darrell Lea eggs. 

In judging, more than one taster described the Darrell Lea option as chalky, saying it didn’t melt in the mouth as well as some of the others, though another judge thought it was quite creamy. The Woolworths option also didn’t earn much praise, with one taster describing it as “dusty”. 

The Coles eggs were described as “pretty good” and one of our tasters thought they were “the fanciest” of the lot.

But it was the Cadbury eggs that unequivocally earned the most praise. Judges said these eggs had a nice, consistent sweetness and a pleasant flavour. 

More than one taster identified it as the Cadbury variety straight away and noted that the familiarity was a deciding factor for them. 

Mini-egg prices compared

When it comes to cost, it’s hard to compare apples with apples, or even eggs with eggs, because pack sizes vary. We purchased the largest bag of each egg variety available at the time of purchase to secure the best unit price. 

Here are the results ordered from lowest to highest unit price.

• Coles 500g bag costs $10 ($2/100g)
• Woolworths 150g bag costs $5 ($3.33/100g)
• Cadbury 440g bag costs $16 ($3.64/100g)
• Darrell Lea 110g bag costs $7.50 ($6.82/100g)

What’s in your chocolate egg?

Looking at ingredients, all of the eggs in our test had the same amount of cocoa solids (28%). Milk solids varied, with the Cadbury and Darrell Lea varieties including 24% of milk solids, while the Woolworths eggs contained 18% and the Coles 15.5%. Sugar, emulsifiers and flavours (mostly vanilla) were also present in all the eggs.

Most surprising was the presence of various nuts in the Woolworths eggs. Peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts were all listed in the ingredients panel. All the other eggs included a “may contain” warning about different nuts and other allergens, but Woolworths was the only product that included nuts in the ingredients list.

Cadbury, Darrell Lea and Woolworths eggs were all made in Australia, but the Coles eggs were packed in Italy.

How ethical are these eggs?

Cocoa farming, most of which takes place in West Africa, has a long history of environmental devastation and the use of child labour, among other concerns. Many brands make reassuring claims about their sourcing policies, but there are no easy answers to the question of ethics in cocoa supply chains

All the eggs we included feature some sort of claim to suggest ethical behaviour. Darrell Lea features a logo for , Cadbury promotes its link to and both Woolworths and Coles declare certification. 

Despite this, the researchers and advocates working to improve the ethics of cocoa farming acknowledge that the problems are complex, and defining what constitutes ethically sourced chocolate is not straightforward.

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Their early appearance is certainly handy for us here at ����Vlog – it gives our expert taste testers plenty of time to gather and compare all the options on the market, so you can make the smartest, most delicious choice for your Easter treats. 

We tasted 15 hot cross buns – ‘traditional’ fruit and chocolate varieties, including gluten-free options – from national supermarkets Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi and major bakery chain Bakers Delight, to see which buns are best.

On this page:

• Best traditional fruit hot cross buns
• Best chocolate hot cross buns
• Best gluten-free hot cross buns
• How to choose the best hot cross buns
• How we test

Best traditional fruit hot cross buns

When it comes to hot cross bun varieties, the options extend from Iced VoVo to Pizza Shapes flavours, and seemingly everything in between.

Last year we saw Wagon Wheel and Fairy Bread flavoured buns on the shelves and for this year’s annual not cross bun taste test our judging panel were exposed to Doritos, Mint Slice and Cinnabon flavoured buns among others. 

But despite the availability of these gimmicky options, you can’t go past a traditional fruit hot cross bun. It’s a crowd favourite.

So for those who’d prefer not to mess with a classic, which traditional buns are best?

Our panel of professionals taste-tested 15 hot cross bun products all up, toasted and untoasted, including six traditional fruit varieties (it’s a tough gig but somebody’s gotta do it).

For the second year running, Coles holds the top spot.

You can compare all products in our full hot cross buns review.

Coles Finest Luxurious Fruit Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 85%
• Toasted score: 83%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 87%
• Price: $1.38 per bun ($5.50 per 4-pack)
• Experts say: “Fruit is evenly distributed and mixed peel is evident. Good to see the fruit variety.” “Appearance is typical of a hot cross bun. When cut there’s a good amount of fruit including peel. The texture is firm yet it has good eating quality.” “Lots of fruit and glaze which is nice to see. Lots of spice you can taste.” “This is a great hot cross bun. Would get this for my home.”

Best chocolate hot cross buns

Why wait for the Easter bunny to bring eggs when you can eat your chocolate in bun form? 

We taste-tested four chocolate hot cross buns from Aldi, Bakers Delight, Coles and Woolworths. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get our hands on IGA’s Community Co Chocolate Easter Buns in time for our test.

There was a clear favourite among our experts, scoring over 90% in our taste test – one of the highest scores we’ve ever given to a hot cross bun.

Woolworths took out top honours in the chocolate category, knocking off last year’s favourite from Coles, which had to settle for second place this year.

Woolworths Bakery Chocolate Hot Cross Buns Made With Cadbury Milk Chocolate Chips

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 95%
• Toasted score: 97%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 93%
• Price: 73 cents per bun ($4.40 per 6-pack)
• Experts say: “Great chocolate aroma with good glaze. It presents well and looks like the real deal.” “When toasted there’s a good chocolate aroma with melted chocolate evident. Toasts well with good texture. A great product.” “Great colour, appearance was full and rich. When cut the aroma was intense of rich dark chocolate. The texture was light and the flavour was excellent. Wow, a great product.”

Woolworths chocolate buns have shown a significant improvement compared to last year’s result, when they scored just 68%. Last year our judges said that although the Woolworths bun looked the part with a good chocolate aroma, the flavour was lacking.

One said, “it looks like it’ll be super sweet and decadent but it isn’t”, while another said “visually it looks great, the expectation is big chocolate flavour but you don’t get it.”

This year, it truly impressed our judges, not only looking great but tasting great too.

Coles Bakery Choc Chip Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 75%
• Toasted score: 77%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 73%
• Price: 73 cents per bun ($4.40 per 6-pack)
• Experts say: “The bun isn’t high so the texture feels dense and harder to cut and eat.” “Full of chocolate bits. It’s a little dry but there’s a nice even chocolate flavour.” “When toasted the chocolate was enhanced. A great product.” “Good chocolate flavour. Looks great when toasted.”

Best gluten-free hot cross buns

Many people need to avoid eating gluten, so we’ve included gluten-free traditional fruit and chocolate bun offerings from Aldi, Coles and Woolworths in our taste test. Coles didn’t release a gluten-free chocolate option this year.

We also decided to give the gluten-free buns their own category, so the scores aren’t directly comparable to their regular counterparts.

The best gluten-free traditional and chocolate buns came from Woolworths this year. The experts particularly praised their appearance, with these buns looking similar to regular buns, rather than the hockey puck shapes seen in the Coles and Aldi options.

Woolworths Free From Gluten Fruit Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 77%
• Toasted score: 77%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 77%
• Price: $1.38 per bun ($5.50 per 4-pack)
• Experts say:  “Good texture that holds together well. A little crumbly on eating.” “Aroma is typical of a gluten free product but toasting gets rid of it.” “Good fruit quantity and evenly distributed.” “The presentation was good. This was a pleasing product.” “A very good gluten free product.”

Woolworths Free From Gluten Choc Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 70%
• Toasted score: 73%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 67%
• Price: $1.38 per bun ($5.50 per 4-pack)
• Experts say: “Chocolate pieces are evenly distributed. There’s a chocolate aroma but it smells artificial.” “When cut, the aroma was quite good and not like a gluten free product.” “When toasted, the chocolate was enhanced and improved the product.” “Not very natural, chemical flavour.” “When toasted, there’s better aroma, the bun holds itself together better but it’s not very chocolatey and still lingering with a chemical flavour.”

How to choose the best hot cross buns

Choosing a hot cross bun really comes down to personal preferences. Do you like lots of dried fruits and a spicy aroma, or would you rather a gooey chocolatey bun? 

Do you like to eat it toasted and slathered in butter, or do you just devour it fresh out of the bag?

There are some things to consider before you just grab the first bag of hot cross buns you see on the shelf.

1. Fruit or chocolate content 

Hot cross buns are usually wrapped in clear packaging so you can at least see what you’re about to buy. Look for an even distribution of fruit or chocolate pieces – it’s a pretty good indicator of a good bun that has well-balanced flavour and texture. 

You can also check the fruit and chocolate content (as well as the type of dried fruit being used) by reading the ingredients list – generally the higher the number the better.

In this year’s test, fruit content in traditional buns ranged from 19 to 28%. Coles Finest Luxurious Fruit Hot Cross Buns had the highest fruit content, evident in the results and comments from our experts.

The chocolate content ranged from 15 to 25% in the chocolate buns. Interestingly, our top-rate Woolworths product didn’t have the highest chocolate content in the group, with 19%. Bakers Delight Handmade Choc Chip and Coles Bakery Choc Chip buns both had 25%.

2. Do they look good? 

The first thing you’ll notice is how the bun looks. And if you’re serving them up on a platter to guests you’ll want to make sure they look the part. 

Our experts assess the appearance of each bun and look for an even shape and size with decent rise (or dome) as well as nice browning on the outside with a well-covered glaze and evenly centred cross. 

3. How do they feel? 

The bun should be light and fluffy to touch with a soft centre when you crack it open. A hot cross bun that feels dense and tough might be stale. 

Keep in mind that toasting can improve the texture and flavour of a dense and stale bun. In some cases though – if the bun has artificial flavours, for example – toasting can enhance these poor characteristics. 

4. Do they have a nice aroma? 

If you can smell the blend of spices or get a nice hit of chocolate, then chances are you’ll be able to taste it when you take a bite. 

Our experts noticed that some hot cross buns had little to no spice aroma but instead had a yeasty smell, which then came through on tasting.

5. Check the use-by date

If you like to buy freshly baked hot cross buns, you’ll want to look for those that are baked instore at Coles or Woolworths or made fresh daily from stores like Bakers Delight. These products will usually show a baked-on date as well as a use-by date. 

Other supermarket buns are usually frozen and then defrosted when they hit the shelves. This is convenient for supermarkets and helps them keep up with stock demands, but freezing can affect shape, freshness and texture.

6. Check the ingredients list 

Flour, sugar, spices, butter and dried fruit are some of the ingredients you expect to see when you look at the ingredients list of a hot cross bun. Unfortunately, they are usually packed with way more ingredients than the basics. 

Almost all the products we tested also contain emulsifiers, antioxidants, thickeners and gums, added flavours, acidity regulators and preservatives. Ingredients are listed on labels in descending order by weight, so the first ingredient will be present in the largest amount, and so on. 

Also be mindful that sugar can be listed multiple times under different names like maple syrup, sucrose and dextrose.

How we test

Products

We tested hot cross bun products available in major Australian supermarket chains and bakeries, including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and Bakers Delight. 

Traditional fruit buns and chocolate buns, along with their gluten-free varieties, were tested separately. 

Price is for the pack size specified and bought in Sydney stores in January 2026 (not on special).

Tasting

Our panel of three experts tasted the hot cross bun samples ‘blind’ (without knowing the brands) in a random order. 

Each bun was tasted fresh (untoasted) and toasted. We do this so that whether you like a fresh or toasted bun, you can see how they’re rated by our experts.

Scores

The experts independently judged all hot cross bun products. The ����Vlog Expert Rating (our overall score) consists of the taste test score, which is made up of 50% for the toasted sample and 50% for the fresh (untoasted) sample. 

The experts rate each hot cross bun on flavour, appearance, aroma and texture. These sensory characteristics are weighted as follows:

• flavour (50%)
• appearance (20%)
• aroma (15%)
• texture (15%).

We recommend traditional and chocolate hot cross buns with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 75% or more, and recommend gluten-free hot cross buns (all varieties) with a score of 70% or more.

Meet our expert taste testers

Brigid Treloar has been a freelance food consultant for over 30 years. The author of eight cookbooks, she also contributes to newspapers and magazines, reviews restaurants, judges cookery and recipe competitions, and judges chocolate in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show Competition. 

Brigid has presented specialist cooking classes around Australia and overseas, and often appears on TV and radio. She’s an industry assessor for Le Cordon Bleu, advises many of Australia’s food companies on product and recipe development, and also provides recipes and cooking information for company websites.

Ian Huntley is an accomplished pastry chef with over 35 years of experience in the industry. Trained in the UK and Switzerland, Ian specialised in confectionery, cake decorating, and bread making before relocating to Australia in the mid-1980s. Upon arrival, he spent five years honing his craft at two of Sydney’s premier hotels, The InterContinental and The Regent.

Ian went on to establish his own wholesale patisserie business, supplying a variety of desserts and pastries to airlines, department stores, hospitals, restaurants, and coffee shops across the region. His commitment to excellence and innovation has made him a respected figure in the Australian patisserie scene.

Today, Ian serves as the Chair of Judges for the Royal Agricultural Society’s Professional Bakery competition and is an Assessor for Patisserie and part time teacher at  Le Cordon Bleu Sydney. His passion for pastry and dedication to nurturing the next generation of chefs continues to inspire.

Eddie Stewart started his culinary career at the young age of 16 and has amassed over 20 years of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, he has worked in various boutique restaurants and world-renowned hotels to develop his own unique style.

He has served as the Head Chef of Savoury and Business Development Manager for the internationally acclaimed Black Star Pastry in Sydney, where he has gained extensive knowledge of the intricacies of the culinary business.

In 2020, he joined forces with Min Chai to create a brand new concept called Tokyo Lamington, where you can indulge in deliciously created lamingtons and other baked items.

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But whatever. The important thing is that it’s hot cross bun season – which means it’s also not cross bun (NXB) season.

Never seen one? That’s not surprising: these limited-edition buns are hard to find in the wild, and shoppers tend to go into COVID toilet paper mode when they see them and grab as many as they can carry.

How did these elusive Easter treats come to exist?

It all started with fruit-free, choc chip and apple and cinnamon buns, through to the strange-but-not-completely-absurd Vegemite and cheese buns, but these last few years have been wild.

Previous crimes against tastebuds have included buns inspired by Pizza Shapes, fairy bread, Iced Vovos, burger sauce, and other egregious offerings.

These Frankenbuns seem to get weirder each year, and they’ve almost become a PR stunt to boost the supermarkets’ cred: better to be infamous for your questionable creations than ignored for playing it safe, right?

Each year, we dare intrepid ����Vlog bun enthusiasts to taste them, to help you decide which ones are worth the dough and which buns belong in the bin.

Here’s what was in this year’s bun bonanza (or bun-anza, if you will):

On this page:

Doritos Inspired Cheesy Jalapeno Hot Cross Buns (Coles)

Indulgent Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Woolworths)

Arnott’s Mint Slice Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Coles)

Reese’s Hot Cross Buns (IGA)

Bakers Life Indulgent Rocky Road Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Aldi)

Matcha & Raspberry Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Coles)

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns (IGA)

Coles Doritos Inspired Cheesy Jalapeno Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38

����Vlog staff still speak in hushed tones about one bun from 2023: the Coles Special Burger Sauce NXB.

Studded with pickle pieces and topped with cheese, it elicited such responses as “absolutely diabolical aftertaste”, “tastes like vomit”, “why would you do that??”.

The controversy seems to have spurred Coles on and now the supermarket creates increasingly unholy flavour combinations each year. 

In 2024 it was Pizza Shapes (described by one taste tester as “the worst tasting thing ever; 0/10”) and Iced Vovo (“tastes like playdough and jam”) NXBs. In 2025, they came out with the slightly more tame Wagon Wheel NXB (“it made promises it didn’t deliver”).

In 2026, Coles is living up to its reputation as a purveyor of gastronomic atrocities with a Doritos collab. (We’re already a little nervous about Easter 2027.)

Despite the horrors of years past, ����Vlog staff bravely lined up to trial these controversial buns. 

What the supermarket says:

“Inspired by the flavours of Doritos these hot cross buns are flavoured with cheese, Doritos inspired seasoning, spicy jalapenos and tomato granules.”

What our taste testers said:

• It’s an offense to mankind.
• I think it’s worse than the Coles burger sauce one. 
• It’s very spicy, quite salty, entirely unpleasant.
• I don’t like it but I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would.
• Would I buy it? God no.
• It does taste like cheesy jalapeno, so if that’s what you’re after in a hot cross bun, then (a) go for it, and (b) good god why would you want that.
• Flavour is beyond gross.
• It’s not a hot cross bun, but if you gave it to me heated up and said “this is a cheesy jalapeno bread” I’d be like mmmm.
• Tastes a bit like sick.
• They’re a zero out of 10 and they go in the bin.
• You could use these for chemical warfare.

Editorial director Mark had an especially violent reaction to the Doritos buns:

“I took one bite, I held it in my mouth for two seconds, then I started dry heaving,” he says.

“I tried to swallow it but I had to spit it all out in the bin. Honestly, it pretty much made me vomit.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

Our verdict: 

We thought they’d crossed a line with the Pizza Shapes NXB, but it seems that Coles won’t stop in its pursuit of the most disgusting dough creation.

At this point the most shocking thing Coles could do at Easter 2027 is to stop making not cross buns altogether, but we have an uncomfortable feeling that they’ll find a way to top this faux-cheese faux pas.

Honestly, we’re not even sure what to think any more. Should you buy it? Sure, why not? $5.50 isn’t much to pay for the entertainment you’ll get from feeding this to your friends. (Though it’s probably better served to your enemies.)

We can only assume that these were created more for publicity than public consumption. Unless you want to risk permanently damaging your tastebuds (or those of your arch-nemesis), we suggest you avoid these at all costs.

Woolworths Indulgent Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38 each

In 2025, Woolies cleverly cashed in on the Biscoff craze.

The strategy paid off: the Biscoff buns were the most popular in our taste test last year.

They know they’re onto a good thing, so this year they’re leveraging people’s obsession with Cinnabon – the popular American chain of bakeries known for its signature cinnamon rolls topped with cinnamon-infused cream cheese frosting.

Since cinnamon is already a core HXB ingredient, a Cinnabon bun isn’t exactly pushing the envelope but given the hype around this flavour combo, it was almost guaranteed to be a sweet success for the supermarket.

What the supermarket says

“An irresistible cinnamon infused bun filled with ooey gooey cream cheese-style filling.”

What our taste testers said:

• Like a really indulgent cinnamon scroll.
• Tastes really good! Not as sweet as raw Cinnabon.
• These are my absolute favourite. I freeze packets of them and eat them throughout the year because I love them so much. 
• I love it! The soft centre is divine indulgence.
• The filling offsets the dryness of the bun but makes the dough around it soggy.
• This is the least unpleasant of the lot.
• Excellent – no notes.
• I will 100% be buying these.
• The GOAT. The best one by miles.

Our verdict:

Everyone wants these buns, hun! They were far and away the most popular, with many taste testers going back for seconds (and thirds and more).

Coles Easter Arnott’s Mint Slice Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38 each

This is the fourth Coles x Arnott’s collab, and the supermarket has continued its strategy of appealing to shoppers’ sense of nostalgia with this take on the beloved Australian biscuit.

Messing with an iconic treat is risky business – especially when it’s combined with something as traditional as a hot cross bun.

So, the biscuit-to-bun transition: delicious, or disappointing?

What the supermarket says:

“A true Aussie icon, inspired by the flavours of Mint Slice these hot cross buns are packed with choc chunks and peppermint flavoured fudge pieces.”

What our taste testers said:

• Not half bad, just a bit dry.
• It tastes exactly like a Mint Slice but without the benefit of the crunch.
• Poor cousin to the actual Mint Slice biscuit – lacks the crunch and fondant combo.
• Not chocolatey enough.
• Not terrible, but definitely worse than a normal hot cross bun.
• There’s not much point to it.

Our verdict:

If you’re a Mint Slice fan, these could be worth buying for the novelty factor alone. However, Mint Slice purists may be disappointed by the texture and dialled-down flavour.

If, like me, you’re not a fan of toothpaste flavour with your hot cross bun, leave these on the shelf.

IGA Reese’s Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $7.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.88

IGA is giving the big supermarkets a run for their money by going for a big-name brand collab.

Choc hot cross buns are already popular – why not take them to the next level with Reese’s salty-sweet signature flavour?

Joining forces with a well-known brand has paid off for Coles and Woolies, but will it do the same for this smaller supermarket chain?

What our taste testers said:

• Very salty peanut butter flavour. The bun was a bit of a non-event.
• Pretty one-dimensional.
• I love Reese’s cups so expectations were high. Overall great combo, but needs more moisture and peanut butter.

• No real chocolate flavour; rather bland. 
• Disappointing!

Our verdict:

We say this every year, but if you want the OG, just buy the OG. 

At $7.50 a pack, these are a pretty pricey way to experience disappointment.

Head for the confectionery aisle instead.

Aldi Bakers Life Indulgent Rocky Road Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $4.49 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.12

Budget supermarket chain Aldi is famous for creating cheaper knock-offs of popular products, and its in-house products often rival the big brands.

The German giant has always done its own thing rather than trying to compete directly with the Big Two supermarkets, so it’s gone with a classic flavour instead of relying on the popularity of a well-known brand.

Opinion was split over last year’s Aldi offering, a banoffee-flavoured bun, with some taste testers loving the bun-ana flavour and others feeling they should be hit with the ban(ana) hammer.

 It’s on shelves again this year if it a-peels to you. 

Has Aldi chosen a rocky path with its rocky road NXB, or will the classic flavour combo mean smooth sailing?

What the supermarket says:

“With milk & white choc chips, raspberry flavoured fudge pieces & toasted coconut flakes.”

What our taste testers said:

• Bit of a nothing bun really. Tastes fine.
• Too sweet and unpleasant fake flavour.
• The rocky road bits are really small; almost non-existent.
• Surprisingly not terrible.
• Not enough rocky road bits.
• This is awful! Dry, crumbly, weird Cherry Ripe/coconut thing going on.

Our verdict:

Aldi’s buns don’t actually contain any marshmallow, which is widely considered to be a key ingredient of rocky road. Can these even really claim to be rocky road without them?

Whether or not the lack of marshmallows is a dealbreaker, these are unlikely to rock-y your world.

If the mouldy-looking coconut pieces don’t put you off, the taste will: they’re dry, lacking in flavour and just generally underwhelming.

Coles Matcha & Raspberry Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38

Matcha seems to be everywhere and in everything these days – and now it’s in your hot cross buns.

But is that a good idea? Our taste testers munched through these matcha buns to find out.

What the supermarket says:

“Inspired by the flavours of a raspberry matcha latte these hot cross buns are flavoured with matcha green tea and packed with creamy white chocolate chips and raspberry flavoured fudge pieces.”

What our taste testers said:

• You can’t taste the matcha. I normally hate matcha and there is only a hint of it. I’d buy it.
• A bit doughy. 
• Flavour is a little lacking.
• Could be worse.
• Nooooo.
• Doesn’t taste like matcha at all.
• Odd. The raspberry dominates; it tastes like Allens raspberry lollies.
• I can’t taste the matcha, which is not a bad thing.
• It’s a disturbing colour.
• Matcha has to work hard for me in the first place, and this one isn’t working hard enough.

Our verdict:

Matcha is polarising: some people love it; others think it tastes like dusty grass clippings. 

Whichever camp you fall in, you probably won’t hate these because they don’t actually taste much-a like matcha.

IGA Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $7.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.88

An old-school British brand, Terry’s Chocolate Orange tends to have an older target market – some younger taste testers had never heard of it before.

But it has stood the test of time and now it’s in a bakery section near you. 

Were these buns Terry-ble or Terry-fic? 

What our taste testers said:

• Tastes like orange flavoured medicine. Would I buy it? NEVER EVER.
• Not too sweet but a little dry.
• Could do with some choc chunks.
• Good texture; not enough chocolate.

• Pretty meh.
• I love Terrys so I was very excited. True to taste. I liked it.
• Pleasant aroma but bland flavour.
• Disappointing – I thought this would be a lot better as I love Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Our verdict:

As with many of these brand collabs, it doesn’t hold a candle to the OG product.

If you have a hankering for Terry’s Chocolate Orange, these won’t hit the spot. 

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But with many similar options available, how do you know which one is really the best accompaniment to your cheese and dips? 

Selection and voting

Water crackers, rice crackers and crackers featuring cheese, seeds, fruit and other flavourings are widely available at our supermarkets, but there’s something to be said for a plain cracker as the perfect vehicle for whatever topping you want to serve up to your guests. 

To compare the similar options available at our supermarkets, we asked our tasters to sample Arnott’s Jatz and Savoy, Mondelez’s Ritz and Aldi’s home-brand Eton cracker. 

All four are round, approximately 45mm in diameter, with the classic serrated edge and evenly spaced holes in the centre. 

����Vlog staff were asked to blind taste-test each option, cleansing their palates with water between each sample. After trying all four, they cast a single vote for their favourite variety.

And the winner is

In a clear victory, Aldi’s Eton beat out the competition, earning a whopping 48% of the vote. Ritz came second with 22%, followed by Savoy with 19% while Jatz scored last place with just 11% of tasters nominating it as their favourite.

The Aldi Eton cracker is also a winner on price. A 225g box costs just $1.49 compared to the $4 you’ll pay for the same-sized box of Jatz or Savoy. Ritz crackers are $3.50 for a 227g box.

In judging the options, more than one taster noted that the Savoy was more salty than the other options, which was a plus for some, though others found its saltiness was overpowering. 

The Ritz was described as too soft and crumbly, and one taster said it was better on its own, rather than as an accompaniment to cheese or dips. Jatz was described as having a nice, hard crunch, but the Eton was said to be “just right”.

What’s in your cracker?

While the listed ingredients in all of these crackers are similar, there are some notable differences. 

Ritz are made with fructose syrup, the Savoy uses golden syrup, and both Eton and Jatz use malt extract from barley. 

All options contain sugar, salt and baking powder. Eton, Jatz and Savoy crackers carry a two-star health rating, but the Ritz crackers don’t provide a rating.

Other ingredients you might find in these crackers include:

• herb extract and yeast (Jatz, Eton and Savoy)
• emulsifiers (Jatz, Savoy and Ritz)
• acidity regulators (Eton)
• food acid (Jatz)
• enzymes (Ritz).

The Ritz also contains added minerals (iron and zinc) as well as vitamins (riboflavin, thiamin and folate).

As some of our tasters noted, one cracker is much saltier than the others. The Savoy contains 848mg of sodium per 100g compared to 490mg, 497mg and 427mg per 100g in the Jatz, Eton and Ritz crackers, respectively. The Ritz cracker is the only one of the four not made in Australia, being manufactured in Indonesia.

Are Jatz and Savoy the same? 

While Arnott’s make both of these very similar crackers, they are not exactly the same. 

Savoy crackers were originally made by Melbourne baker, the Brockhoff Biscuit Company. When Arnott’s merged with this firm in the 1960s, they responded to Victorian consumers who wanted to keep their preferred variety and continued to make the Savoy.

The difference between the two crackers is minor. Apart from the difference in sodium (see ‘What’s in your cracker’, above), the ingredient lists reveal that while Jatz are made with malt extract from barley, the Savoy is made with golden syrup. 

The packaging is also very similar, as are the crackers themselves, though look closely and you’ll see the word ‘Savoy’ stamped onto one side of that variety. 

In terms of availability, you’ll mostly find the Savoy in Victoria and Tasmania, though it can be found in some independent retailers in other states. Jatz is available around the country.

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