Taste test: the best stollen for Christmas 2017

Taste test: the best stollen for Christmas 2017

Taste test: the best stollen for Christmas 2017

by Great British Chefs6 December 2017

It might be a traditional German delicacy, but in recent years stollen has become just as popular as Italian panettone. See which ones we liked best in our marzipan and rum-filled taste test.

Taste test: the best stollen for Christmas 2017

It might be a traditional German delicacy, but in recent years stollen has become just as popular as Italian panettone. See which ones we liked best in our marzipan and rum-filled taste test.

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Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

Marzipan haters look away now – it’s stollen time! Supposedly created by a German baker envisioning a marzipan Jesus swaddled in a breaded, fruit-studded blanket (he or she may have had too much mulled wine that particular Christmas), this enriched loaf comes with a core of marzipan, lashings of rum, nuts, dried fruit, spice and icing sugar. Those who have never had it before are missing out.

All the supermarkets now create a stollen for Christmas, and artisan bakeries throw their sugar-dusted hats into the ring too. We chomped our way through ten of them to find the best for your Christmas table.

Runner-up: Tesco Finest Stollen Slices, £4 for 6

Traditional stollen comes as a whole loaf, ready for slicing and serving to your guests. However, many of the supermarkets now dish them out in ready-made slices, making it easier than ever to march them into your mouth one after the other before guiltily hiding the packaging at the bottom of the bin. These slices from Tesco had a distinct layer of marzipan running throughout, a nice hit of rum in the aftertaste and a moist, chewy texture.

Runner-up: Konditor and Cook Stollen, £22 for an 812g cake from konditorandcook.com

What a beast! Sticking to the traditional way of things, this London-based bakery (which delivers nationwide) bakes hundreds of these beautiful stollen for the purists out there every Christmas. The spicing is the best bit; strong cinnamon, cardamom and ginger flavours permeate the dough, while whole almonds and raisins are studded throughout. The marzipan comes in the form of a log which runs throughout the loaf, so those who don’t like the stuff can nibble around it.

Winner: Melrose and Morgan Stollen Bites, £6.99 for 200g from Ocado

Yes, they’re expensive. Yes, you don’t get that many in a packet. But the flavour of these mini stollen bites absolutely blew us away. Every cube tasted like it had been swimming in buttery rum, with an incredibly moist, almost wet (in a good way) texture that keeps you going back for more. The marzipan was certainly there but not overpowering, and the chewy dried fruit add some welcome sweetness. If you’re a stollen connoisseur, this is the one to go for. Just don’t expect them to last for long at a party.