Bakeries are upping production of hot cross buns this year, after shops and supermarkets ran out of stock right before Easter last year.

Bakers in general agree that demand is up this year on last, as Bermudians bake less and less buns at home and turn to the bakeries and supermarkets for their traditional buns and the codfish cakes to go with them.

The seemingly insatiable appetite for the sweet buns with or without raisins for Easter means that every bakery, from small to large, is working at full pelt with all hands on deck.

And while small bakeries are making their mark, the bigger players have so much work that they do not resent the smaller traders muscling in in their territory. Kameel Ahmad, general manager of Crow Lane Bakery said that their season started two weeks ago.

"We expect to make between 60,000 and 70,000," said Mr. Ahmad. "We are expecting to make more than last year. We supply our bakeries, all the supermarkets, restaurants, hotels and shops. I think we are the main producers, but there are a lot of smaller bakeries out there. I am afraid we don't have time to worry about them a this time of year as we work flat out."

He said that during this time the are producing hot cross buns 24 hours a day through to Thursday, when they stop at about two or three in the afternoon. "The delivery vans are constant, and leave the bakery at all hours. On Thursday we start our deliveries at 4 a.m. and keep on going.

"It is all hands on deck. We don't hire any extra staff, but we cancel all vacation for these two weeks, which means we have an extra two staff on this time of year," he said, adding that they had between 17 and 18 staff.

Edna Sharrieff, part owner and manager of the Brunswick Street Bakery, a medium sized bakery, said also it was all hands on deck this week, with children of the owners working alonside permanent staff in the run up to Good Friday. Luckily Mrs. Sharrieff has six children who all pitch-in with packing and sorting to make sure the baked buns get out.

She said that this is the bakery's busiest time of the year, with no holidays allowed, all ten staff working full out and the bakery running 24 hours a day. While they do not keep accurate figures about how many hot cross buns they bake, on the Thursday before Easter alone last year they baked between 18,000 to 21,600 buns ? and expect to bake more this year.

"We work around the clock this time of year," said Mrs. Sharrieff, who said her favourite way to eat a hot cross bun is to have it slightly warmed (not toasted) with butter and cheese. "No one takes holidays, and everyone is in. The owners come in and even their children come in to help out."

Acting General Manager of Bermuda Bakery, Eric Vauhkonen, said that during this week alone they make in excess of 30,000 buns with six or seven bakers working flat out to get them ready.

But he said that unlike other bakeries, they do not need to run a 24 hour a day production to keep up with supply.

"I think demand is higher than last year because they were so popular and ran out in many places," said Mr. Vauhkonen, who eats his with codfish cakes.

One of the Island's smaller bakers, Kenny's Homestyle Bakery and Catering, has been turning down business because they already have too many orders in. When asked how many they had baked so far, Kenny Rawlins, the owner/manger said, laughing: "Way too many."

So far he believes the have baked about 480, but as of today will bake 3,840 hot cross buns, plus about 1,440 fish cakes. Mr. Rawlins has been baking for 25 years, but has been out on his own for the past five years in the Ex-Artillerymen's Association's building on Victoria Street.

"This year, I am turning down people," he said. "We have had twice as many orders. People just can't be bothered to bake themselves.

"Last year we sold out so early, and I had to come in on Good Friday morning and complete orders. This year people have ordered earlier and in larger amounts.

But Mr. Rawlins confessed: "I am sick of them. I have just finished 3,000 cookies, and by the time I have done all the fishcakes and buns, come Friday, I am look for a piece of chicken."