Panettone is an Italian type of sweet bread and fruitcake, originally from Milan, which has become a popular Christmas treat over in the UK. Kirsty Bosley is on the hunt to see whether Aldi or Lidl have the best offering this year
Move over, mince pies! Panettones have seen a huge rise in popularity in the UK in recent years. But with so many different brands on offer, which one to buy this Christmas?
As the cost of living crisis rumbles on, people are looking for the best value for money when it comes to their festive foods. Especially when you're catering for a big family.
Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl both have their own versions on sale this festive season. And Birmingham Live reporter Kirsty Bosley offered to review both offerings to see which one was best. But first she had to work out how to eat them… Here's how it went.
"Looking at the two mini panettones I was reviewing for this story, I found myself momentarily bemused," Kirsty wrote. "How should one eat a panettone, exactly? Do you heat it up? Put butter on? Dip it in your coffee?"
"I felt uncultured, but keen to test them, I shoved them into my trap anyway, cold and dry, straight from the box." Admittedly, it was never part of her "Christmas treat rotation" while growing up, she said. Unlike mince pies and Quality Street.
"But when I saw the little pretty boxes, complete with ribbon on top for hanging, in the discount supermarkets, I wanted to test them out," said Kirsty. "The bread cakes I grabbed from Aldi and Lidl looked very similar, in the same shaped boxes, a picture of what was inside adorning the front.
"Aldi's has an Italian flag on the front, stating it was baked in the country. Looking at the bottom of the Lidl panettone box, I think theirs was too, but they're not making a fuss about it."
The big difference, she noted, was price. The 'Specially Selected' Aldi panettone was £1.35, while the standard Lidl version was just 99p. The Aldi cake was larger however at 100g compared to Lidl's 90g offering.
But the proof of the pudding was in the eating. And one was a clear winner, said Kirsty.
"The paper case that the Aldi panettone was in felt a little bit greasy, and the cake itself was rich with butter," she said. "As I tore chunks off the top, my fingers a little bit slippery, I found juicy sultanas and gems of candied peel studding the light and airy bake.
"Lidl really couldn't compete. It wasn't unpleasant in its dryness, but the lack of fruit disappointed me.
"There was some in there but not enough to juice things up. It was fluffy, more savoury than its competitor, but I didn't like it half as much.
"Aldi's panettone might be 36p more expensive, but then it's a much more sophisticated product to my (unrefined but still hungry) palette. I think if I had it to spare, I'd rather pay the extra. Now just to learn how I'm supposed to eat the thing..."
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