Best supermarket caterpillar tails revealed in test – M&S is NOT the winner
A SURPRISE supermarket has put M&S first in a blind taste test of caterpillar cakes.
Consumer website Which one? asked a panel of 75 shoppers to rate the best critter-themed logs from eight major supermarkets.
Taste testers were asked to consider the taste, appearance, aroma and texture of the cakes, which were then given an overall score of 100%.
And in a surprise move, M&S’s iconic and original Colin variety was beaten into first place by Co-op’s Charlie the Caterpillar cake.
The panel gave the retailer’s cake an overall score of 72% and which one? also tagged it with a Best Buy recommendation.
A Best Buy tag is awarded to products and services proven to best serve consumers in Which?’s laboratory tests and expert reviews.
Tasters noted the cake, which cost £8 for 660 grams, for its combination of rich chocolate flavour, moist sponge and soft buttercream.
M&S came a close second, with the £8.50, 625g cake scoring a total of 71%.
Despite missing out on top spot, it still beat most of its rivals, with the panel noting the quality of its biscuit and chocolate flavour.
In third place was Morrisons, which scored 70%. The 624g Morris the Caterpillar cake (£7.50) was praised for its overall taste, but the texture of the buttercream was found to be too dry by more than half of testers.
In joint third place was Sainsbury’s Wiggles the Caterpillar Cake, priced at £7.50 and weighing 627 grams.
The cake scored well for its chocolate flavour, but the panel said the sponge was not moist and almost a third thought the chocolate shell was too thin.
Waitrose’s Cecil the Caterpillar Cake followed, priced at £8.50 and weighing 720g.
The panel said the strength of the chocolate flavor 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, costing £5.49.
But it scored a poor 68% in the overall blind taste test, with almost half of tasters finding the sponge’s texture too dry.
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In joint sixth place was Tesco’s Slinky the Caterpillar cake, which cost £7.50 for 648 grams.
The overall taste was rated good, but almost half of the panel thought it was too dry. A third also said there was no buttercream in it.
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 found the chocolate flavor too weak, while 63% found the biscuit too dry.
How can I save on my supermarket shopping?
There are plenty of ways to save money at your grocery store.
You can look for yellow or red stickers on products, which indicate when they are discounted.
If the food is fresh, eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money because you’ll be less likely to make hasty purchases when you go to the grocery store.
Choosing your own brand can be an easy way to save hundreds of dollars a year on your food bill, too.
This means ditching the ‘best’ or ‘luxury’ products and instead opting for ‘own’ or value-for-money lines.
Many supermarkets have shaky fruit and vegetable programs where you can get cheap prices if they are misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering 5kg boxes of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you could potentially get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers, which you can also use at the supermarket.
In addition, many municipalities offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Natalie Hitchins, from Which?, said: “For many of us, a caterpillar cake is a must for a birthday or party.
“Our test results show that you don’t have to go out of your way to get the best, or waste too much money.
She added: “The scores were pretty close across the board so you can’t go far wrong with a caterpillar cake, but if you want the best we’d recommend heading to Co-op or M&S. “
Nicole Tallant from Co-op said: “We’re pleased that Which? has settled the great debate about caterpillar cake and named Co-op the tastiest on the high street for the second time.”
The Sun also contacted M&S for comment.
In other news, reporter Lynsey Hope tested hot cross buns from eight supermarkets, with the winner costing just 31 cents per bun.
Plus, consumer reporter Olivia Marshall tried Lindt bunny dupes from major retailers to see how they fared.
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