Has M&S's Colin the Caterpillar lost his crown? Vote now

Shoppers have been left furious after an insect cake taste test saw Co-op knock Marks and Spencer's original Colin the Caterpillar off the top spot.

Taste-testers taking part in a Which? study argued a copycaterpillar called Charlie tastes better than the popular Colin product.

But furious customers disputed the study's findings and say the 'horrid' £8 Co-op 'Charlie the Caterpillar' cake, which weighs 660g, doesn't even have a chocolate face.

Do you agree with them? MailOnline is asking our readers what their favourite Caterpillar style cake is.

One said on X/Twitter: 'The best bit of a Colin the Caterpillar cake is the face, and you can now buy them in the sweetie section so all was well when I let a five-year-old influence my cake choice for a quiet life.'

Another said: 'Colin has an adorable chocolate face which makes him stand out and I love it. Charlie's face does look a bit creepy to be honest.'

A third person said: 'Kids don't really care but who wants to eat that horrid thin yellow face when the original has chunky chocolate.'

Analysis by consumer watchdog Which? found that while Marks & Spencer came up with the insect idea, it cannot claim to have the best combination of chocolate, sponge and buttercream.

The watchdog's blind taste test of caterpillar cakes from eight supermarkets found Co-op's Charlie to be the finest, awarding it a 72 percent score and a coveted 'Best Buy' recommendation.

Which? said the cake 'wowed tasters' with its 'ultimate combination of rich chocolate flavour, moist sponge and soft buttercream'.

Coming in a close second was M&S's Colin at £8.50 for 625g, achieving a 71 percent and a 'Best Buy' recommendation, beating most of its rivals with its 'superior sponge and delicious chocolatey flavour'.

Colin - Marks and Spencer - £8.50

Charlie - Co-op - £8

However the result will be a bitter blow for M&S, whose Colin cake has been widely copied by rival grocers.

M&S took Aldi to court for what became a long-running legal dispute in which the former accused the discounter of copying Colin with its 'Cuthbert' product.

An undisclosed settlement eventually reached by the two grocers did not deter Aldi from going on to release an ad in which it announced it was 'like M&S, only cheaper', and showing rival caterpillar cakes Cuthbert and Colin breaking into a scuffle at a party.

Test results

To find out which caterpillar cake reigns supreme, the consumer watchdog asked a panel of 75 consumers to rate eight caterpillar cakes in a blind taste test.

Here's who come out on top:

1) Co-op's Charlie - costing £8 for 660g - awarded 72 percent score

2) M&S's Colin - costing £8.50 for 625g - awarded 70 percent score

3) Morrisons' Morris - costing £7.50 for 624g - awarded 70 percent score

4) Sainsbury's Wiggles - costing £7.50 for 627g - awarded 70 percent score

5) Waitrose's Cecil - costing £8.50 for 720g - awarded 69 percent score

6) Aldi's Cuthbert - costing £5.49 for 625g - awarded 68 percent score

7) Tesco's Slinky - costing £7.50 for 648g - awarded 68 percent score

8) Asda's Letty - costing £7.50 for 615g - awarded 67 percent score

Which? head of home products and services Natalie Hitchins said: 'For a lot of us, a caterpillar cake is a must for a birthday or celebration. Our test results show you don't have to go out of your way to get the best, or splash too much cash.

'Our panel rated Co-op as our highest scoring caterpillar cake overall. As well as being budget-friendly, Co-op's Charlie the Caterpillar had a rich chocolate flavour and plentiful amount of buttercream.

'The scores across the board were quite close, so you can't go too far wrong with a caterpillar cake, but if you want the best, we advise you to head to Co-op or M&S.'

Nicole Tallant, from Co-op, said: 'We're thrilled that Which? has settled the big caterpillar cake debate and named Co-op as being the best tasting on the high street for the second time.'

In joint third place was Morrisons' Morris the Caterpillar cake which received a score of 70 percent, with testers finding its sponge 'a little disappointing'.

Tying in third place with Morrisons was Sainsbury's, whose Wiggles the Caterpillar cake lacked 'much-needed moistness', while nearly a third of tasters thought the chocolate shell was too thin.

Waitrose scored 69 percent for its Cecil the Caterpillar cake, and while tasters were satisfied with the strength of chocolate flavour, sweetness and thickness of the chocolate shell, almost half felt there was too much sponge compared with buttercream.

Aldi's Cuthbert, the cheapest option at £5.49, could only achieve 68 percent, with nearly half of tasters finding the sponge too dry, although Which? noted it was not a bad choice for a budget birthday cake.

Tesco - Slinky - £7.50

Asda - Letty - £7.50

Sainsburys - Wiggles - £7.50

Morris - Morrisons - £7.50

Waitrose - Cecil - £8.50

Aldi - Cuthbert - £5.49

Tying with Aldi's score was Tesco's Slinky the Caterpillar cake, with tasters finding it 'too dry' and lacking buttercream.

Asda's Letty came last with a score of 67 percent after tasters were concerned about its weak chocolate flavour and dry sponge.

'Copycaterpillar' fury as taste test rules Co-Op's budget Charlie cake is better than M&S's original Colin the Caterpillar but furious customers say it doesn't even have a chocolate face - so what do YOU think? Take MailOnline's exclusive poll

DON'T MISS

DON'T MISS

From the Makers of Candy Crush

'Copycaterpillar' fury as taste test rules Co-Op's budget Charlie cake is better than M&S's original Colin the Caterpillar but furious customers say it doesn't even have a chocolate face - so what do YOU think? Take MailOnline's exclusive poll

Poll

Share or comment on this article: 'Copycaterpillar' fury as taste test rules Co-Op's budget Charlie cake is better than M&S's original Colin the Caterpillar but furious customers say it doesn't even have a chocolate face - so what do YOU think? Take MailOnline's exclusive poll

DON'T MISS

DON'T MISS

From the Makers of Candy Crush