A SURPRISE supermarket has pipped M&S to first place in a blind taste test of caterpillar cakes.
Consumer website Which? asked a panel of 75 shoppers to rate the best critter-themed logs from eight major high street supermarkets.
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Taste testers were asked to consider the flavour, appearance, aroma and texture of the cakes which were then given an overall score out of 100%.
And in a surprise, M&S’ iconic and original Colin variety was beaten to first place by Co-op’s Charlie the Caterpillar cake.
The panel gave the retailer’s cake a 72% overall score and Which? also tagged it with a Best Buy recommendation.
A Best Buy tag is awarded to products and services proven to serve consumers the best in Which?’s lab tests and expert assessments.
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Tasters noted the cake, priced at £8 for 660g, for its combination of rich chocolate flavour, moist sponge and soft buttercream.
M&S came in a close second, with the £8.50 and 625g cake scoring 71% overall.
Despite it missing out on the top spot, it still beat most of its rivals with the panel noting the quality of its sponge and chocolatey flavour.
In third was Morrisons which scored 70%. Its 624g £7.50 Morris the Caterpillar cake was praised for its overall flavour but the texture of its buttercream was found by over half the testers to be too dry.
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In joint third was Sainsbury’s Wiggles the Caterpillar Cake, priced at £7.50 and coming in at 627g.
The cake scored well based on its chocolatey flavour but the panel said the sponge lacked in moistness and nearly a third thought the chocolate shell was too thin.
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Waitrose’s Cecil the Caterpillar Cake came next, for £8.50 and weighing in at 720g.
The panel said the strength of the chocolate flavour was satisfactory but almost half said there was too much sponge compared to buttercream.
Aldi’s 625g Cuthbert the Caterpillar Cake was the cheapest option, coming in at £5.49.
But it scored a poor 68% in the overall blind taste test, with nearly half of the tasters finding the texture of the sponge too dry.
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In joint sixth place was Tesco’s Slinky the Caterpillar cake, coming in at £7.50 for 648g.
Its overall flavour was well-rated, but nearly half of the panel found it too dry. One third also said it lacked buttercream.
Coming last in the taste test was Asda’s Letty the Caterpillar cake – priced at £7.50 for 615g.
More than a third of the panel thought the chocolate flavour was too weak, while 63% found the sponge too dry.
How can I save on my supermarket shop?
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Natalie Hitchins, from Which?, 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.
She added: “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.”
The Sun also reached out to M&S to comment.
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