Dee Sargeant
Aldi’s Cuthbert has come out on top in Britain’s most gloriously unnecessary supermarket showdown, beating M&S rival Colin in a blind taste test by consumer champion Which?.
In a result sure to delight Aldi shoppers and mildly wound anyone emotionally invested in a caterpillar cake, Cuthbert scored 72%, while Colin trailed behind on 64%.
For years, the two chocolate-covered birthday favourites have been treated like supermarket royalty, with shoppers fiercely loyal to one side or the other. But once the branding was stripped away and the forks came out, there was a clear winner.
And it was not the pricier cake.
According to Which?, Aldi’s Cuthbert impressed tasters with the “creamy” texture of its buttercream, helping it crawl ahead in a panel of 75 cake lovers.
Colin, meanwhile, had a less comfortable outing.
Which? found the M&S cake was outperformed by every competitor in the test, with around 44% of tasters describing the sponge as “too dry” and 40% saying the chocolate flavour was “too weak”.
That is awkward enough on its own.
It looks even worse when price is thrown into the mix.
Colin costs £9.50, making it one of the most expensive cakes in the test. Aldi’s Cuthbert, by comparison, is priced at £6.99 for 625g — a full £2.51 less.
So not only did Aldi’s caterpillar win on taste, it did so while costing shoppers considerably less at the till.
The result is likely to strike a chord with families planning birthday parties, office celebrations or any last-minute dash for a cake that looks cheerful enough to distract from the fact nobody remembered candles.
As Which? neatly put it: “You shouldn’t let brand fame dictate your birthday budget.”
That line will sting a little at M&S, where Colin has long carried the aura of being the original big name in caterpillar cakes.
But if this test proves anything, it is that a famous face and a premium price tag do not guarantee victory once the first slice has been served.
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: “The proof is in the pudding! Cuthbert has been a fan favourite for years, and this official result from Which? finally settles the score. We’ve always been confident that our cake offers superior taste at an unbeatable price, and we’re delighted that expert tasters agree. This is a win for Cuthbert, and a win for savvy shoppers everywhere who know you don’t have to pay a premium for the best.”
For Aldi, it is the kind of result money cannot buy — although in this case, it apparently costs £2.51 less.
And for shoppers, it offers a small but satisfying reminder that when it comes to supermarket treats, paying more does not always mean eating better.
So after years of chatter, jokes and birthday-table bragging rights, Britain’s caterpillar cake contest has a fresh twist.
This time, Aldi’s Cuthbert did not just keep up with Colin.
He beat him fair and square.
