The Times Australia
Fisher and Paykel Appliances
The Times Food and Dining

.

How early is too early’ for Hot Cross Buns to hit supermarket and bakery shelves

  • Written by The Times

Every year, Australians find themselves in the middle of the nation’s most delicious dilemmas - when is too early for hot cross buns? As soon as the first packs appear in supermarket aisles on Boxing Day, the country divides into two camps: the die-hards who’d happily enjoy them all year round, and the purists who believe they should stay firmly in their Easter lane.

Well fret no more, this year Amazon Australia is calling time on the hot cross bun debate - serving up a festive peace offering that’s set to please all. Introducing the Hot Chriss Pud - a bold new dessert mash-up giving this much-loved treat an official seat at the Christmas table, without the controversy.

Co-created with former Masterchef contestant Declan Cleary and lovingly handcrafted by Victorian small business Pud For All Seasons, the limited-edition pudding gives a cheeky nod to both celebrations, blending its sweet dried fruits, warm spices, and hint of citrus from a classic hot cross bun into a rich Christmas pudding, topped with the iconic cross.

Declan Cleary, MasterChef icon and co-creator of the Hot Chriss Pud, said: “Australians love to have a laugh, or a moan, about how early hot cross buns appear each year, so I thought why not embrace it? The Amazon Hot Chriss Pud is the ultimate holiday truce. As an avid hot cross connoisseur, I have always dreamt of finding a way to bring those rich flavours to our plates earlier. The Hot Chriss Pud delivers on this challenge. It's festive, it's fun, and it's an instant conversation starter at lunch.”

Now in its third year of reinventing the Christmas pudding - following the ‘Amazon Aussie Christmas Pudding’ and ‘Amazon Everything Pud’- Amazon is celebrating our nation’s festive quirks. The Hot Chriss Pud is a true all-rounder: it can be served as a main dessert with custard or brandy butter, or, thanks to its signature spiced fruit flavours, take center stage on a cheeseboard.

The Hot Chriss Pud will be available from 18 November on Amazon Australia with the launch of its Black Friday Sale event, which will run for 14 days from 00:01 AEDT, 18 November to 11:59 AEDT, 1 December. Shoppers can explore hundreds of thousands of discounted products across all categories, from electronics and toys to beauty, homewares, and everyday essentials, and of course, Christmas puddings.

Amit Mahto, Country Manager for Amazon Marketplace in Australia said: "Black Friday is the perfect time to grab everything you need for the holidays at a discount, from gifts and festive essentials to the perfect Christmas day lunch accompaniment with our limited-edition Pudding! We’re thrilled to team up again with Pud For All Seasons, one of thousands of Australian businesses that sell on Amazon.com.au, as well as Declan who is truly a culinary genius, to bring customers something that will get their tables talking this Christmas.”

Angus Walsh, Owner of Pud For All Seasons, added: "It’s been an incredible opportunity to bring Declan’s wild and wonderful idea to life. This pudding has all the hallmarks of a new Aussie classic - a little cheeky, a lot delicious, and a new potential staple for Aussie Christmas. We can’t wait to hear what people think!"

The limited-edition Amazon Hot Chriss Pud will be available exclusively on Amazon.com.au for $10 during the Black Friday Sale. Click here to add it to your Wish List, so you can snap it up before it sells out! Prime members enjoy free delivery, and new customers can unlock a 30-day free trial at amazon.com.au/prime for fast, free delivery and year-round perks.

Get ready to kick off holiday prep - and sneak a cheeky taste of Easter early.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About Puds For All Seasons

Puds for All Seasons are a small Australian business based in Castlemaine, Victoria.. For over twenty years, the team has been delighting dessert lovers with their homestyle plum puddings made from time-honoured family recipes. Find out more about them, here: https://www.pudforallseasons.com.au/.


Food & Dining

How healthy are the hundreds of confectionery options and soft drinks

Walk into any big Australian supermarket and the first thing that hits you isn’t the smell of fresh bread or the neatly stacked veggies – it’s walls of chocolate bars, lolly bags, energy drinks and two-litre bottles of cola staring you down from ...

Menulog is closing in Australia. Could food delivery soon cost more?

It’s been a rocky road for Australia’s food delivery sector. Over the past decade, major platforms and a smattering of daring, minor players have been jostling for market share. That’s brought rapid change – and also seen several high-profile bus...

Restaurants to visit in St Kilda and South Yarra

Here are six highly-recommended restaurants split between the seaside suburb of St Kilda and the stylish inner-east locale of South Yarra, Melbourne — perfect if you’re planning a food-lovers outing. I’ve included details about what makes each sp...

How early is too early’ for Hot Cross Buns to hit supermarket and bakery shelves

Every year, Australians find themselves in the middle of the nation’s most delicious dilemmas - when is too early for hot cross buns? As soon as the first packs appear in supermarket aisles on Boxing Day, the country divides into two camps: the d...

Times Magazine

This Christmas, Give the Navman Gift That Never Stops Giving – Safety

Protect your loved one’s drives with a Navman Dash Cam.  This Christmas don’t just give – prote...

Yoto now available in Kmart and The Memo, bringing screen-free storytelling to Australian families

Yoto, the kids’ audio platform inspiring creativity and imagination around the world, has launched i...

Kool Car Hire

Turn Your Four-Wheeled Showstopper into Profit (and Stardom) Have you ever found yourself stand...

EV ‘charging deserts’ in regional Australia are slowing the shift to clean transport

If you live in a big city, finding a charger for your electric vehicle (EV) isn’t hard. But driv...

How to Reduce Eye Strain When Using an Extra Screen

Many professionals say two screens are better than one. And they're not wrong! A second screen mak...

Is AI really coming for our jobs and wages? Past predictions of a ‘robot apocalypse’ offer some clues

The robots were taking our jobs – or so we were told over a decade ago. The same warnings are ...

The Times Features

Understanding Kerbside Valuation: A Practical Guide for Property Owners

When it comes to property transactions, not every situation requires a full, detailed valuation. I...

What’s been happening on the Australian stock market today

What moved, why it moved and what to watch going forward. 📉 Market overview The benchmark S&am...

The NDIS shifts almost $27m a year in mental health costs alone, our new study suggests

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was set up in 2013[1] to help Australians with...

Why Australia Is Ditching “Gym Hop Culture” — And Choosing Fitstop Instead

As Australians rethink what fitness actually means going into the new year, a clear shift is emergin...

Everyday Radiance: Bevilles’ Timeless Take on Versatile Jewellery

There’s an undeniable magic in contrast — the way gold catches the light while silver cools it down...

From The Stage to Spotify, Stanhope singer Alyssa Delpopolo Reveals Her Meteoric Rise

When local singer Alyssa Delpopolo was crowned winner of The Voice last week, the cheers were louder...

How healthy are the hundreds of confectionery options and soft drinks

Walk into any big Australian supermarket and the first thing that hits you isn’t the smell of fr...

The Top Six Issues Australians Are Thinking About Today

Australia in 2025 is navigating one of the most unsettled periods in recent memory. Economic pre...

How Net Zero Will Adversely Change How We Live — and Why the Coalition’s Abandonment of That Aspiration Could Be Beneficial

The drive toward net zero emissions by 2050 has become one of the most defining political, socia...