Shoparound: M&S Bakery Iced Buns, Fruit Loaf and more

Marks and Spencer have an official vegan list but we like to shop off-piste. If you've any doubt about our review policy read the how vegan is vegan post. Armed with a smartphone to check additives we took a visit to M&S's in-store bakery on a rumour that there were vegan iced buns to be had. Sure enough the buns were animal-free and we picked up a basket full of similar goodies too.


There were tea buns, hot cross buns and several varieties of fruit loaf just begging to be toasted. We naturally grabbed a tub of M&S's vegan-labelled sunflower spread too...

Iced and Spiced Buns

First on our plate were the aforementioned iced buns...iced and spiced to be exact. These are essentially a fruit bun (like a tea bun) with thick icing on top. Very different to a plain iced finger (hardly ever vegan) these buns are packed with fruit, and are dense and sweet...almost like a Chelsea Bun. The buns are worth a trip to M&S for on their own...especially if you like sweet sticky buns.

Apple and Sultana Fruit Loaf (toasted)

Next up and our favourite part of today's haul is the fruit loaf. Toasted and slathered with your favourite marg, this loaf is a revelation...wonderfully fruity and with a waft of cinnamon coming from the toaster we could hardly wait to eat it. The one we selected was Apple and Sultana but there were other varieties that were animal-free too. Definitely one for the future shopping list.

Hot cross buns (toasted)

Finally we had a choice of tea buns (teacakes) or hot cross buns. We picked up the hot cross buns despite Easter being long gone. Hot cross buns are often animal-free in other supermarkets but you have to shop carefully as ingredients change all the time. If you've had hot-cross buns before you'll know what to expect...a rich sweetened bread roll with fruit and spices. These were good hot-cross buns but we'd been spoiled by the superior fruit loaf by this point.

The reason these baked goods don't make the official vegan list is that they're produced in the same environment as stuff made with egg and dairy. If you let that stop you, you'd avoid every independent bakery that wasn't wholly vegan...and those are few and far between. We say it's worth a trip to M&S to enjoy the selection on offer...especially that fruit loaf!

Review of the sunflower spread to follow shortly...

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