Hot Cross Whopper

And now Pegrums' bakery, at Rustington, is claiming a world record for the widest, heaviest hot cross bun.

The whopper weighed in at 42 kilos, 4 kilos heavier than the previous, South African world champion, and, more than 2 inches wider, at 48.5 inches.

There was a spontaneous round of applause as the golden-brown creation emerged from the oven on Thursday, watched by Rustington Parish Council chairman Linda Beard, Littlehampton mayor Mark Butler and an army of photographers, journalists and a film crew.

Littlehampton's Harbour Park amusement complex teamed up with Pegrum's to set up the world record bid with the aim of promoting the seaside resort.

And the stunt certainly attracted massive interest from the media.

The ingredients included 20 kilos of flour and around 9 kilos of mixed fruit, enough to make 800 ordinary hot cross buns.

Pegrum's managing director, Paul Pegrum, said: "It was a challenge we couldn't refuse. It's got to be the best publicity Littlehampton has had for many years."

Guinness World Records has yet to ratify the claim and the bun will be on temporary display at Littlehampton Mus-eum, until the weekend.