107-year-old hot cross bun 'acts as memorial'

Published on Saturday 15 April 2006 00:07

A PENSIONER yesterday unveiled an unusual family heirloom: a 107-year-old hot cross bun kept in a box in her home to remember a relative who died in the 19th century.

The bun - made in 1899 - has been handed down through the generations of Margaret Haste's family.

Mrs Haste, 87, a retired teacher, of Nacton, Suffolk, said the bun was kept as a reminder of her mother's sister, who died aged 13 in 1899.

"My mother's sister was ill and died shortly after the bun was delivered to her home," said Mrs Haste.

She went on: "The bun was the last thing she tasted before dying. Apparently she put it to her lips but said she didn't feel like eating it.

"My grandmother decided to keep the bun as a reminder of her daughter. When she died it passed to my mother and then to me and I will pass it on to my children."

Mrs Haste said she kept the bun wrapped in tissue paper inside a wooden box.

"I take it out and show it to people occasionally and it does get handled now and again," she added.

"I don't know why it's lasted so long. Possibly because the box is air-tight. But I plan to hand it on to my children and grandchildren."

Eating hot cross buns is one of the oldest Christian traditions, with the cross standing as a symbol of Christ. Some historians have suggested the snacks pre-date Christianity, being used in pagan rituals, although the first recorded use of the name is not until 1733.

The distinctive cross is made either from pastry, cut into the shape from rice paper and glazed, or simply cut into the bun itself.