It was once the preserve of the bougie delicatessen, but panettone has fast become a British festive staple, with supermarkets reporting soaring sales and customers apparently willing to pay increasingly large sums for the Italian sweet bread.
“A few decades ago, the panettone would have been decadent and exotic, but now it’s as much a mainstay of the British Christmas as favourites like mince pies and turkey,” said Leyla Page, a seasonal bakery buyer for Waitrose.
Sales of panettone at Waitrose are up 65% on last year, following a rise of 40% the previous year. Fortnum and Mason reported a rise in sales of 11%, while Selfridges said sales were up 30%, driven by people buying them as gifts.
Panettone originates in Milan and is made with sourdough-like dough, which is left to prove for several days and hung upside down after baking, giving it its distinctive dome shape. Efforts to give the treat “protected designation of origin status”, like parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar, have so far been unsuccessful.
Most British supermarkets offer 1kg panettone for about £10, but a market is emerging for more expensive options. The actor Ben Miller told Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch last month that he had found himself paying £60 (€73) for a Dolce and Gabbana panettone for his brother-in-law’s Christmas present. “I’m seething. It’s ruined Christmas for me! Nobody’s getting anything,” he joked.
Dolce & Gabbana’s panettone range includes eight flavours in decorative tins, including candied apple and cinnamon, and citrus fruits and sicilian saffron.
Fortum and Mason’s most expensive panettone will set you back £395 – but in fairness, it does feed 100 people. Described as the “ultimate panettone”, its dough has been “double fermented” for 48 hours and it includes Australian raisins, candied oranges and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla.
The Italian chef Aldo Zilli has not been impressed by the trend for ever more expensive panettone, telling the Telegraph: “I have panettone made from a company in the south of Italy where I come and they make it for me at £25 each and they are unbelievably good. I don’t think anyone should pay any more than that.”
As well as the cost, buyers are stretching themselves to try a wider range of flavours, too. Rich Harding, senior innovation chef at Asda, said: “We have seen people moving away from dried fruits in favour of slightly lighter sweet treats – so flavoured panettone are a great way to enjoy [this trend].”
Morrisons offers a “passionfruit martini” panettone for £6.50 for 500g, while Tesco’s “tiramisu’ panettone will set you back £12.50 for 790g.
Waitrose’s limoncello fizz panettone has become the fastest-selling product in its seasonal bakery range this year. “It offers a tantalising twist on the classic as customers are embracing the ‘bougie boozy’ trend,” said Page. Likewise, sales of its Cinnamon Bunettone are up 31% on the year.
The panettone has a number of romantic origin stories. One is that a Milanese baker named Toni created the recipe to woo a beautiful woman who walked past his bakery, giving it the name “pan de Toni”, which became “panettone”.
Another is that it was created for the Duke of Milan’s holiday feast after the cake intended to feed guests was burned.
