'£60 for Dolce and Gabbana': how posh panettone is fast becoming a Christmas staple

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.

- Guardian staff

"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.