A SURPRISING supermarket has been crowned the best for panettone in a blind taste test.

Consumer website Which? asked a panel of 72 shoppers to rate their favourite supermarket panettone of a list of nine.

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The group, who broadly represent the UK’s demographic, tried the treats in a blind taste test.

They were rating taste, aroma, mouthfeel and appearance of each panettone.

The winner of this year’s taste test was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Classic Panettone.

At £16 for 1kg, or £1.65 per 100g, it earned itself a Which? best buy recommendation.

The winning Italian cake impressed by having the right level of sweetness and strength of flavour, as well as its crumb texture and “lovely” crust.

The majority of the group also enjoyed the amount of dried fruit it contained.

Aldi’s Specially Selected Panettone impressed the panel by having a firmness to both its outer crust and sponge.

At £4.99 for 750g, or 67p per 100g, it was the cheapest on the test, earning Which? Great Value and Best Buy endorsements.

Despite not receiving a Which? Best Buy endorsement, other supermarkets also delivered some tasty and budget-friendly options.

Asda‘s Exceptional Classic Panettone with Italian Candied Orange Peel (£6 for 500g or £1.20 per 100g) scored well with tasters for its taste and appearance.

Morrisons and Tesco‘s offerings were on a par, according to the judges, with both being praised for their texture.

The four remaining panettone, including the three brands on the test, were less popular with the panel.

Crosta and Mollica’s Mini Panettone Classico, which is priced at £1.65 for 100g, left the panel divided on flavour.

Half of the group said it was good, while the other half wanted a stronger taste.

It can be bought from Waitrose and Ocado.

Meanwhile, the Bauli Panettone Classico (£14.46 for 1kg or £1.45 per 100g) looked and smelled good according to the testers, but didn’t excel in other areas.

This cake is available to buy from both Asda and Ocado.

Piselli Classic Panettone, available at Tesco, was the panel’s least favourite of all those that they tasted.

The group said it didn’t impress in any area, with three-quarters saying it lacked flavour.

Scoring slightly higher than this was Lidl’s Deluxe Panettone Classico.

The majority felt fruit levels were good, but two-thirds deemed it bland while more than half said it lacked sweetness.

Neither M&S nor Waitrose had a comparable panettone available at the time of the test, so results for these aren’t included.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine said: “Panettone is a real treat at this time of year, whether you are buying it as a gift or enjoying it with family or friends.  

“If you want the best over Christmas, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Classic Panettone was Which?’s Best Buy and got high praise for its looks, aroma and flavour.

“If you’re after a bargain, Aldi’s Specially Selected Panettone also impressed with its flavour and sweetness levels and was just £4.99, earning it a Best Buy and Great Value double.”

It’s worth bearing in mind, the prices Which? found for the pannettones were correct as of November 10.

That means you might have to pay more or less when you come to buying one.

If you’re not fussed on flavour and are more worried about cutting costs, use a price comparison site to find the best deal.

Trolley lets you compare prices on thousands of products across the major supermarkets and filter results from the least to most expensive.

Bear in mind it doesn’t include prices from some retailers though, like Home Bargains and Lidl.

You can also have a quick scan of the internet with the Google Shopping/Product tab to see which retailer has the cheapest price on a specific product too.

Pannettones aren’t the only Christmas item Which? has been testing.

It also tried supermarket own-brand Irish cream against Baileys – and the winner wasn’t Aldi or M&S.

In other taste test news, we tried booze advent calendars – the festive winner was just £2 per drink.

Plus, we tested 12 festive sandwiches including Aldi and Starbucks – the winner was a hearty handheld Christmas dinner under £4.