Countdown supermarkets are anticipating kiwi consumers will devour 11 million hot cross buns.

More than five million individual hot cross buns have been sold since they went on sale at Countdown earlier this year. A further six million are expected to be sold in the lead up to Easter weekend.

Countdown also predicts that New Zealanders will purchase around half a million loose chocolate eggs in the lead up to the public holiday, not including boxed eggs and other Easter products.

Bakery merchandise manager, Alton Gullery, says that despite Easter being two weeks earlier this year, it looks as though shoppers will eat as many buns as last year.

“We’re anticipating our customers will eat 11 million buns this year and our bakers are working hard to keep up with demand. The most popular are the traditional spiced fruit buns, but Hershey’s chocolate buns are hot on their heels and becoming a modern favourite. The fruitless buns are the third most popular across the country,” Gullery said.

In keeping with a competitive Easter tradition, this month each Countdown bakery took part in the annual competition to be crowned ‘Hot Cross Bun Bakery of The Year’. This year the top honour has been claimed by bakers at Countdown Northlands. Countdown Mt Roskill and Countdown Botany took out second and third place, respectively.