What can I do with a panettone …

… polite responses only please!

Does a gift of panettone fill you with dread or does it fall into the same category as all the other stuff you feel obligated to buy? If it's the latter then I think it must be down to nostalgia – if you're a certain age you'll surely remember certain items that appeared each year - in our house there was always a box of orange and lemon slices – pure sugar! Oh and an absolute must from childhood – a box of dates – I don't think I ever saw anyone eat any. Hand on heart, the only time I've eaten dates is hidden in Sticky Toffee Pudding when you really wouldn't know they are there but they taste great. Both the slices and the dates were still gathering dust well into the New Year!

Back to the panettone – whether a gift or you've purchased of your own free will – sort of. These days you can buy different sizes and varieties. Here's my contribution to reducing the panettone “peak” post Christmas when you're absolutely sick and tired of moving the box or tin around. I'm so sorry for the excruciating alliteration – it just sounded so much better than “panettone mountain”.

I'm never quite sure where panettone belongs – I realise it's an Italian Christmas cake but it always strikes me as if it can't make up its mind whether its a bread – brioche style – it's surely too dry for what we'd call Christmas cake. Whatever your views on this product I have to say that I'm sorry you can't smell the delicious aroma when I open the tin – wow.

So, I give you my Cherry & Chocolate Panettone Pudding.

A variation on a theme of the old faithful the Summer Pudding and the Autumn version too.

The great thing about this pud apart from the fact that it's really easy, is that it has to be made 24 hours ahead, so it's great for the hols – done and dusted!