01-09-2019 by Nick Santos (Alivini Company Ltd)
The classic (or traditional) Panettone by Scarpato made with only the best raw ingredients (image courtesy of Scarpato)
The UK has always been big on Christmas celebrations and while most traditions are carried on generation after generation, recent years have shown that the British population seems to have changed its appetite in what it prefers to have for the festive season: Panettone and Pandoro are almost always on the list. It’s for this reason that it’s very important to have something decent on the table – and by this we don’t mean expensive.
Panettone is more than just a tradition across Italy. For many, the Christmas season only begins when the Panettone hits the shelves and the UK is following suit. Should you have, or have had, the opportunity to pop over to Italy around this time of the year you’ll find that you’re faced with practically no highly commercialised (aka ‘cheap’) panettoni. Why’s this, I hear you asking? Almost each region produces its own ‘style’ of panettone so the locals prefer to consume local high quality produce, supporting their local brands, and often offer panettone as a gift. The latter means that you simply couldn’t present your dear family or friends with a poorly made ‘cheap’ product…you want to be able to offer them what you believe to be the best (again this doesn’t always mean the most expensive), especially if it’s their Christmas gift from you!
Here at Alivini we’ve always supported the UK market by offering some of the best from Italy, and not many can better the quality of Venetian artisan producer Pasticceria Scarpato. Since the mid-2000s we’ve stood by this high-end producer of festive treats (including but not limited to Panettone, Pandoro and Colomba Easter cake) and our customers’ praise for these products is never ending.
For the production of Panettone Scarpato it takes 4 days of calm, patience, care and respect of natural cycles. Everything originates from their sourdough which is refreshed every day, 3 times a day, proceeded with the dough and the addition of the basic high quality ingredients (eggs, flour, butter, raisins, candied fruit, etc). Once ready, the dough is placed in the form to be cooked and then the freshly baked Panettone is turned upside down and left to rest for the remainder of the day.
Alongside the plethora of packaging styles, our customers can expect a grand display of variety in the form of fillings, toppings or even shape! Each year Alivini’s Christmas catalogue showcases everything from your classic Panettone with raisins and candied fruits to flavoured cream fillings, exotic candied fruit, chocolate covered, chocolate chips, macaroon glazed, champagne soaked raisins, plus many, many more. However you’d like to celebrate, we have you covered.