Larva lamped: Colin the Caterpillar loses to eight lookalikes in cake taste test

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Apr 02, 2026 · 565 words · By Zoe Wood

Caterpillar Cakes Comparison Consumer Product Evaluation

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What to know about Caterpillar Cakes Comparison

After a busy 35 years as a British party favourite, not to mention a bruising court battle with an alleged copycat, you might think Colin the Caterpillar had earned his place at the top.

Claims checked 22

Techniques found 0

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left14%

Center72%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

After a busy 35 years as a British party favourite, not to mention a bruising court battle with an alleged copycat, you might think Colin the Caterpillar had earned his place at the top.

Why it matters

But the “original” chocolate caterpillar cake has now been labelled the worst, bested by lookalikes in a taste test.

Common ground

In a contest against eight supermarket rivals including Cecil, Charlie and Wiggles, Colin came bottom with a score of 64%.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Caterpillar Cakes Comparison story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Colin scored 64% in the taste test, with 44% of testers complaining about its dry sponge?
How does this story connect Caterpillar Cakes Comparison with Consumer Product Evaluation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/02/m-and-s-colin-the-caterpillar-l…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 22 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 12

help Insufficient Evidence 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

verified

Claim 1: “Colin scored 64% in the taste test, with 44% of testers complaining about its dry sponge.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Colin the Caterpillar" is a chocolate roll cake sold by the major British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer. More than 15 million Colin the Caterpillar cakes have been sold since it was introduc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_the_Caterpillar

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The major British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer has used a number of brand names for its present and former products and services.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marks_&_Spencer_brands

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nymphalis antiopa, known as the mourning cloak in North America and the Camberwell beauty in Britain, is a large butterfly native to Eurasia and North America. The immature form of this species is som…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalis_antiopa

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Claim 2: “Cecil remained remarkably moist and had a 'perfect' sponge-to-buttercream ratio.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 3: “Colin has a hard chocolate shell and white chocolate perma-grin.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 4: “Over 1 million Colins are bought every year.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bullitt Group Ltd was a British-based international mobile phone and consumer electronics business. Founded in 2009 by Colin Batt, David Floyd and Richard Wharton; Bullitt designed, manufactured, mar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullitt_Group

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Moths are a group of winged insect of the order Lepidoptera, the other well-known members of which are butterflies, they are characterized by dark or dull patterned wings. They were previously classif…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moth

schedule

Claim 5: “M&S's Colin cake has 39.5% chocolate content with 100% Fairtrade cocoa.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 6: “Morris (Morrisons) and Letty (Asda) both scored 72% in the taste test.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “Aldi's Cuthbert finished fourth with 72% and was praised for its creamy texture.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 8: “Waitrose's Cecil was the heaviest caterpillar cake at 744g.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “Colin is priced at £9.50, making it one of the most expensive caterpillar cakes.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “Waitrose's Cecil cake scored 78% and received a 'best buy' rating.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A general election was held in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2024 to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons. The opposition Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a landslide victory over the go…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_Kingdom_general_el…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elizabeth Faith Currer Buchanan, (born 1962) was formerly Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales. Buchanan worked in public relations. She was a spokeswoman for United Kingdom Prime Minister Margar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Buchanan

help

Claim 11: “M&S was the first to sell a caterpillar cake.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “Charlie (Co-op) and Wiggles (Sainsbury’s) tied for second with 73% scores.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “Which? rankings list Cecil as first with 78% score, £9.50 price, 744g weight, 38.6g sugar, and 17g fat.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “Slinky (Tesco) scored 66% with a price of £9 and 648g weight.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 15: “Colin has the highest sugar (46.3g) and fat (21.3g) content per 100g among competitors.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 16: “Colin debuted in August 1990 and became known by his first name.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 17: “Cuthbert (Aldi) finished fourth with 72% and 43.5g sugar per 100g.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “M&S claimed a poll named Colin the nation's best caterpillar cake.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 19: “Charlie (Co-op) and Wiggles (Sainsbury’s) finished joint-second with 73%.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 20: “Colin the Caterpillar cake was labeled the worst in a taste test against eight supermarket rivals.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 21: “The Caterpillar celebration cake (Lewis & Green) scored 67% at £4.50.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 22: “Colin (M&S) scored 64% with 46.3g sugar and 21.3g fat per 100g.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.