How to choose and eat the best panettone

Panettone is a light, fluffy Italian sweet bread that’s thought to date back to 200AD. Made with slow-risen sourdough and enriched with butter, it also traditionally contains festive ingredients like candied peel, raisins and citrus – although these days there are a plethora of irresistible flavours to try. After being baked, panettone is traditionally skewered hung upside-down to cool and rest, ensuring the rich dough doesn’t collapse and the texture remains light and fluffy.

At M&S, our panettone comes from the Di Gennaro family, based in Fossano, in the Italian Alps 60km from Turin. They’ve been making panettone according to a traditional recipe for two generations. The dough is made with a 65-year-old sourdough starter and traditionally hung upside-down – a process which takes three days.

From classic, fruit and citrus-flecked panettone to quattro chocolate, giftable mini panettones and moreish nut-topped flavour, we’ve got a panettone to suit everyone in the Foodhall this year. Keep reading for a few of our favourites.

Our new Collection Nocciolato Panettone features our signature butter and egg-enriched panettone dough, studded with plump Turksish sultanas and Sicilian candied orange, with a crispy hazelnut topping sprinkled with whole roasted Alupian almonds. It makes the best use of Italian ingredients, such as butter sourced from 20 minutes away from Fossano in the Italian Alps, and candied orange from extra-juicy Calabrian oranges.

You’ve chosen your perfect panettone – now use it to make some showstopping festive recipes. Try this showstopping panettone trifle with mulled wine-poached pears and a nutty topping, or Tom Kerridge’s Christmas panettone eggy bread with a spiced fruit compote. Load up into an epic bread and butter pudding, or serve with rich clotted cream and berries as an indulgent Christmas brunch.