‘£60 for Dolce and Gabbana’: how posh panettone is becoming a Christmas staple
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Supermarkets are reporting surging sales, with customers apparently willing to spend more on exotic versions of the Italian festive bread. 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.
![[The Italian festive bread can now sell for up to £60 (€73).]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/889a35e757de50a20c316415ccd6c311e58e1e38/0_0_3700_3700/master/3700.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“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.
![[Waitrose limoncello fizz panettone]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3be5ca9a9513e8abb1c0400d905b8d0435dbbbf4/0_485_2334_2515/master/2334.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
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.
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