EK: “This has one of the nicest shapes, but I’m ambivalent; there’s nothing wrong with it but it’s not special, and there’s only a very small aftertaste of alcohol. This is a very happy breakfast panettone.” Score 6.5/10 BE: “I agree, this is very similar – and better – than the Tesco panettone. There’s more peel, and it’s not as sweet, which I appreciate.” Score 7/10 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

BE: “It looks like a giant hot cross bun – they’ve put the wrong thing inside! There’s lots of plump, juicy fruit and peel in here; it’s not bad at all. This feels more like an everyday panettone. If you love hot cross buns, this is for you.” Score 6/10 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 5.5/10BE: “This looks pleasing; the wrapper is decorative, you can see all the fruit coming through, and it’s got good height. The sweetness level is good, but I’m not getting any prosecco. I like the texture, and I could eat more than one slice of this – but you have to lose marks because I’m not tasting booze.” Score 7/10

Minimum life based on 'use-by' date of product. Average life based on last week's deliveries. Life guarantee shown based on delivery tomorrow with the Life guarantee starting the following day. 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 EK: “To me, this is a classic: it looks sophisticated, the texture has a nice lightness to it and there are some good, big chunks of fruit. However, the dough itself is a bit bland and I would like more flavour. Overall, it’s pretty good. Score 7/10 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 looks like a Ferrero Rocher. The chocolate is quite thin, which I’m happy about; the caramel is so cinnamon-y and there’s so much of it; the bread is bland on its own. It’s crazy how sweet this is, it’s headache-inducing.” Score 3/10Sugar, Piedmont HAZELNUT( Hazelnuts), Whole MILK powder ( Milk), Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Anhydrous MILK fat ( Milk), Emulsifier: SOY lecithin( Soya), Natural Vanilla Flavouring While the first appearance of a panettone is important, it’s inside that makes the real difference,” Parietti explains. “You should look for bubbly dough with an intense yellow colour and a soft, bouncy consistency. This indicates that the rising process was long and slow (up to 72-hours in some cases). 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 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. With so many varieties on offer, we asked Deborah Parietti, Director & Founder of Feast Italy what to look out for in the perfect panettone.

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 BE: “Appearance-wise it’s not giving a lot. Oh gosh, what’s this? Coffee cream! The cream is odd; it tastes like fake, diluted coffee and the texture coats your tongue. No, don’t buy this. I’m not even getting tiramisu – you’d be better off buying a tiramisu, buying a panettone, and enjoying them separately.” Score 1/10

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Taste-wise, we’d be looking for a crust that is as soft as the middle, without any bitterness, or worse, burnt aftertaste. A good panettone should be moist but not greasy, with well-balanced ingredients that don’t overpower one another.” Should panettone be refrigerated? 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 EK: “This is a pretty good, very classic panettone. It’s fruit heavy but it needs more citrus; there’s enough peel, but it’s missing the citrus oil. It’s very similar to the Tesco panettone, but it’s better and cheaper.” Score 7.5/10 EK: “It looks nice, and there’s the classic mix of candied peel and raisins. It’s not the most flavourful dough, but the texture is good. I like the hazelnut crust on top and there isn’t too much of it – but I think it’s not strong enough in flavour to call it hazelnut.” Score 8/10 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

EK: “This looks like a giant doughnut; I’m worried about the crust and texture of that cream inside, which stinks. Oh, I don’t like the filling, and the bread tastes artificial. If it didn’t have that weird cream and had some peel, it would be miles better.” Score 4/10 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.Feeding a crowd? Although not included in this round of testing, we have to point out the Selfridges Selection Panettone Hamper — it’s a bumper selection of all things panettone, including a liqueur and chocolates, all inspired by the Italian bake. How do you tell a good panettone?