Hot cross buns

‘Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns.’ Traditional folklore has it that hot cross buns, those familiar shiny round buns with their dark currants sticking out here and there, are descended from pagan days when the vernal equinox was celebrated. If properly made on the actual day - Good Friday - they are supposed to protect the whole family from fires, rats, accidents and shipwrecks. A cheap form of insurance.