Co-op caterpillar cake beats M&S’s Colin in taste test
COLIN the Caterpillar has become a party favourite, but the Marks & Spencer cake now risks being overshadowed.
Taste-testers have lifted the lid on a copycaterpillar called Charlie, who can be found in Co-op stores.
All major UK supermarkets have had a go at mimicking original creation Colin – a huge money-spinner for M&S.
But analysis by consumer champion Which? has found that while the retailer came up with the insect idea, it cannot claim to have the best.
The Co-op’s Charlie – who costs £8 – earned a winning score of 72 per cent for his ‘ultimate combination’ of chocolate, sponge and buttercream. Colin, priced at £8. 0, wiggled into second place with a rating of 71. He was, however, praised for his ‘superior sponge and delicious chocolatey flavour’.
Other imitations put to the test included Tesco’s £7. 0 Slinky caterpillar cake, coming in at 68 per cent; and Sainsbury’s equally priced Wiggles, who fared better on 70 per cent but still lacked ‘muchneeded moistness’.
At the same price point was Morrisons’s offering, Morris, whose ‘disappointing’ sponge was awarded a score of 70. Elsewhere, Waitrose’s Cecil the caterpillar achieved only 69 per cent despite an £8. 0 price tag.
In 2021, M&S and Aldi were embroiled in an ugly legal dispute over the characteristics of the discount chain’s Cuthbert the caterpillar.
M&S claimed the cake was so similar to Colin that it represented ‘a breach of intellectual property rights’. The row culminated in an Aldi ad showing the rivals involved in a scuffle at a party.
Which? gave a ‘dry’ Cuthbert 68 per cent – but it is worth noting that he is the best value of the bunch at just £ .49.