Panettone?

For our first Christmas living in Italy there would be eleven of us, including two excited nephews who had never flown before. Finding a turkey became quite a challenge until an ex-pat resident volunteered to order one for us, but it would have to be two smaller ones as Italians prefer salmon so don’t breed many big turkeys. I was shocked when they arrived… lots of black feathers left on their legs and vast bags of giblets stuffed inside. But that wasn’t the worst part – it was the cost! Over a hundred pounds and this was many years ago. Vegetables were different too, no sprouts or parsnips just carrots and savoy cabbage supplemented by plenty of potatoes and tins of sweetcorn. We were happy to leave Christmas pudding off the menu as we’ve never been fans but had discovered panettones on a trip to Saronno, where Amaretto is made. It was incredible to see them hanging upside down as they cooled suspended by two wooden stakes through their bases. Have you noticed the holes in the paper cases? Light and airey with much less fruit and a little peel, we were hooked. There were no wacky flavours in those days, just the Pandoro alternative to slice and create a tree shape. Any leftovers were made into delicious bread and butter pudding. Will you be buying one this year? I bought ours a couple of weeks ago in case they sell out !