Spread a rich and smooth nut butter over your panettone for a very special afternoon treat. Coffee cream and pistachio cream from Fiasconaro are just the thing.

BE: “I want a tall panettone, which this is, but it’s just too sweet and it needs something else going on in this bread. I think chocolate panettone is for people who don’t like panettone.” Score 4.5/10 BE: “This isn’t panettone; we’ve gone too far over the line. There’s none of that classic panettone flavour (apart from the peel) to redeem it, and it’s all sugar. It does look playful and fun, though, so it could be good for kids.” Score 3.5/10

Fiasconaro Panettone Pandorato

EK: “I like the mix of sugar and almonds in the crust, but this panettone is bland – there’s no almond flavour in there. If you’re going to sell it as cherry and almond, then people are going to expect that bitter almond taste. Nice texture, though.” Score 6/10 Traditionally, Italians eat a slice of panettone at breakfast. Slice yourself a pillowy piece of panettone and enjoy with a strong espresso first thing, for the true Italian experience. One of the best recipes for panettone that’s past its best is in bread and butter pudding. Layer up big slices of the bread, cover in custard and bake for a fruity, rich gorgeous pud. The subjects to whom the personal data refer have the right at any time to obtain confirmation of the existence or otherwise of the same data and to know its content and origin, verify its accuracy or request its integration or updating, or rectification (Article 7 of Legislative Decree No. 196/2003).

So, next time you're faced with the vast selection, remember: it's more than just bread; it's a slice of Italian heritage. EK: “This is nice and tall, which is what you want, but it looks a bit sad. Do you know what this tastes like? Fruit bread. It’s got the texture of panettone but it’s really missing the classic panettone citrus oil – you can smell it, but you can’t taste it. There are loads of raisins in it, so it’s good for breakfast.” Score 6/10 EK: “It’s quite dry and the least rich dough we’ve tried. The filling is better than Aldi’s but it’s still too sweet – all you’re left with at the end is an artificial taste. It needs some citrus peel to balance things out.” Score 5/10 Panettone is usually opened at the end of the Christmas feast, and is delicious served alongside coffee, dessert wine, hot chocolate or tea, as well as bubbles,” Parietti recommends. Inexpensive and mass-produced as they may be, they are still authentically Italian and follow the classic Milanese recipe. In fact, the first man to mass-produce panettone was a Milanese baker by the name of Angelo Motta. In the 1930s, Motta added a 100-foot conveyor belt to his bakery expressly for the purpose of mass manufacturing his iconic panettone. Today, Motta is still a household name. Recently, in the way that Roman pizza, obscure amari and Zeppole have again come to the fore, panettone, too, is having its revival. Young bakers, often wishing to test their mettle, are attempting to revive the artisanal craft of panettone-making.

Premium, Authentic, Italian.

Time passed by, but the same care and attention of 100 years ago remain steady at the works of Borsari. The current owners, Family Muzzi, keep on pursuing the same goals, producing thousands of excellent cakes, faithful to the tradition that made Borsari great and successful.

Try layering up your panettone in a tiramisu or trifle. The bread is particularly tasty soaked in brandy, masala or other sweet wines. Fruit should be evenly distributed throughout the bake, and the aromas of butter, vanilla, raisins and orange should fill the air with its festive scent. BE: “This looks better than the picture on the box, which is rare. It feels dense, and the texture of the cream inside is just odd and way too sweet. The bread doesn’t have enough orange in it for a chocolate-orange panettone, either.” Score 4/10 BE: “It’s very small for such a big box. I feel a bit underwhelmed. The cherries on top look nice, but I really don’t want the chocolate – I want to see the top. It’s well filled, there’s a good distribution of cherries and chocolate chunks in there, and I like that there’s a bit of alcohol to cut through the sweetness. Do I want a big slice? No.” Score 5.5/10We take panettone very seriously at Sous Chef and we believe we hold the best selection of brands in the UK, and perhaps even in Europe. EK: “That chocolate cream is disgusting, it’s so sweet. It’s missing the citrus, so it doesn’t taste like panettone, but the taste and texture of the filling is the main takeaway – and that’s bad. You wouldn’t want a big chunk of this.” Score 4/10 Choosing the best panettone boils down to a mix of personal preference, brand reputation, and a keen eye for quality. Whether you're enjoying a slice from Italy's finest bakeries or experimenting with supermarket brands, the journey to find your perfect panettone is bound to be delicious. Nicola first explored cooking as a career when training at Leiths, before spending the next decade in Finance. However... after a stage as a chef at a London Michelin-starred restaurant, Nicola saw the incredible ingredients available only to chefs. And wanted access to them herself. So Sous Chef was born.