THE FLUXX Panettone Guide 2026 gathers tEN of the season's best Italian Christmas breads to buy in the UK, from Waitrose's new pistachio and sour cherry to a matcha panettone at Selfridges and the Claridge's classic, with prices from £12.
Panettone has quietly completed its takeover of the British Christmas. Once the tall, ribboned box you carried home from Milan, it now stands shoulder to shoulder with the mince pies in every serious food hall, and John Lewis's £8 panettone tin bauble has become one of its best-selling decorations. When the tree starts dressing up as the cake, you know the cake has won.
A confession before we begin. Of all the things that make Christmas feel like Christmas, panettone is my favourite festive treat, and by some distance. There is a particular joy in the first slice of the season: the ribbon untied, the bag opened, that warm rush of butter and orange, and a crumb so light it pulls apart in feathery golden strands. Toasted, buttered and eaten with a strong coffee on a cold December morning, it is, to my mind, the most civilised breakfast of the year. So this guide is a labour of love, and every one of these twelve is a panettone I would be thrilled to unwrap.
Our 2025 Panettone Guide was one of THE FLUXX's most-loved features, so this year we went back to the counters to see what had changed. Quite a lot, as it turns out. Pistachio is now everywhere, the citrus is increasingly Sicilian, and the more playful houses have started borrowing from the bar, with Orange Spritz and Moscato panettone on the shelves. There is even a matcha one. Brace yourself.
What Makes a Panettone Worth the Price?
The rules have not changed. A true panettone is raised with a natural sourdough starter, the lievito madre, and proved slowly over several days, which is what gives it that feathery, pull-apart crumb. Italy has protected the name since 2005, with a decree setting out what may legally be called panettone, down to the butter and egg yolk.
Look for weight in the hand, a deep golden dome and a rush of butter, vanilla and citrus the moment the bag is opened. The price tag tells you something; the ingredient list tells you rather more.
Enjoy THE FLUXX 2026 Panettone guide!
Waitrose No.1 Pistachio & Sour Cherry Panettone
The headline act of Waitrose's Christmas 2026 range, and the most striking panettone on the high street this year. A soft, golden dough is swirled with sour cherry and crowned with chopped pistachios, so every slice arrives with a little crunch and a little tartness to cut through the richness. It lands in shops on 1 November. Set a reminder; this one will not hang around.
Gift guide: £20, in stores from 1 November.
The Waitrose Christmas Edit, read more here
Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Citrus & Saffron Panettone
The Fiasconaro family bakes in Castelbuono, high in Sicily's Madonie mountains, and its collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana has become one of the great Christmas gifting rituals. This limited edition brings candied Sicilian lemon and orange together with saffron, which lends the crumb a sunny colour and a faintly honeyed warmth. The tin, naturally, will outlive the cake by several decades.
Gift guide: £48.99 for 500g at Sous Chef.
Waitrose Orange Spritz Panettone
Aperitivo hour, in panettone form. The most cheerful bake of the season borrows its flavour from Italy's favourite early-evening ritual, and it is exactly the kind of thing that turns up at a Christmas Eve drinks party and steals the show from the canapés. It pairs, unsurprisingly, rather well with the real thing.
Gift guide: £12.50 for 750g.
Waitrose
Selfridges Selection Moscato Panettone
Baked in Verona by the Perbellini family from a 55-year-old starter dough, this is a panettone with a pedigree. Free-range eggs and Madagascan bourbon vanilla enrich the crumb, and the raisins are soaked in Moscato d'Asti, which gives the whole loaf a gentle, floral sweetness. Selfridges suggests toasting a slice and buttering it generously. We would not argue.
Gift guide: From £34.99 for 950g.
What Does a 2026 Panettone Taste Like?
Selfridges Selection Jenki Matcha Panettone
The year's wildcard, made with Jenki, the London matcha house that already has a devoted following in the Selfridges Foodhall. On paper it should not work; in practice, the grassy depth of matcha against a rich, buttery dough is exactly the kind of contrast that makes the best panettone sing. For the person who has tried every flavour and thinks they have seen it all.
Gift guide: £29.99 for 1kg.
Fortnum & Mason Marrons Glacés and Dark Chocolate Panettone
Fortnum's does panettone the way it does everything, which is to say with a certain Piccadilly swagger. Marrons glacés, the candied chestnuts that have been a Christmas luxury since the courts of France, meet dark chocolate in a loaf that serves eight to ten. Arrive at lunch with the famous eau de nil box and you will be invited back.
Gift guide: £55 for 750g.
Fortnum & Mason Apricot & Salted Caramel Panettone Loaf
Not every gift needs to feed a crowd. Fortnum's smaller loaf pairs apricot with salted caramel, a combination that feels thoroughly 2026, and at 270g it serves three or four. It is the perfect hostess gift, the most elegant stocking fillerin London, and quite possibly breakfast for one.
Gift guide: £12.95 for 270g.
M&S The Ultimate Panettone & Prosecco Magnum Gift
M&S has done the thinking for you. Its Collection Nocciolato panettone, crowned with a hazelnut crust, arrives in a keepsake tin alongside a jar of Collection Pistachio Crème for spreading and a magnum of Conte Pallidi Oro Prosecco. It is a complete Christmas morning in one box, and the easiest way to look very generous with very little effort.
Gift guide: £60
Which Panettone Is Worth the Splurge?
Birley Bakery Three Chocolate Panettone
Last year we fell for Birley Bakery's classic, scented with Sicilian orange and Tahitian vanilla. This year it is the turn of the Three Chocolate, garnished with dark, milk and white chocolate, for the person who believes that more is more. Pre-orders are open now for click and collect or home delivery, with deliveries from 9 November.
Gift guide: £48 for 1kg.
Claridge's Panettone
Some things are worth keeping. The Claridge's panettone was a highlight of our 2025 guide and it returns for 2026, still the panettone of choice for anyone who would rather Christmas came wrapped in Mayfair. It is available for pre-order now, and the hotel's Christmas food tends to sell out, so do not leave it too late.
Gift guide: £55, pre-order
THE FLUXX Xmas Slice
And for those who would rather drink their panettone, Fortnum & Mason has bottled it. Its Toasted Panettone & Saffron Liqueur, made with the Cotswolds producer Reverend Hubert, pours gold, smells of buttered toast and finishes with candied orange, lemon and a dry flicker of saffron. "Panettone is a staple of Fortnum's festive offerings, so it was high time this iconic Italian delicacy was reimagined," says Oscar Dodd, Fortnum & Mason's drinks buyer. At £35 for 50cl, it makes a rather good partner to any loaf on this list.
What this year's crop tells us is that panettone is no longer a novelty but a canvas. The best bakers are keeping the slow, sourdough method sacred while having real fun with what goes in it. Whichever you choose, save a few slices for Boxing Day: panettone makes the finest bread and butter pudding known to humankind. And if you are still shopping, our Christmas Homeware Gift Guide and Jewellery Gifts Under £350 have the rest of the list covered.
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