Is Arctic Colin the Caterpillar worth buying?

Colin the Caterpillar, the iconic cheery chocolate celebration cake, turns 35 this year. To mark the occasion, Marks & Spencer has launched a new frozen version - Arctic Colin. 

But at a steep £16 (vs £9.50 for the cake version), can ice-cream Colin inspire the same levels of delight in tasters as the original?

As the Which? food and health editor, with years of overseeing taste tests and kitchen gadget reviews under my belt, it's clearly my solemn duty to find out...

I recruited my enthusiastic niece and nephew, aged 7 and 10, and my slightly less enthusiastic parents, to conduct a very scientific cross-generational taste test and bring you our first impressions.

Read on to see what we made of Arctic Colin The Caterpillar Chocolatey Frozen Dessert, and whether he's worth splashing out on.

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Arctic Colin: what’s different vs original Colin the Caterpillar

You'll find Arctic Colin nestled in the freezer section. He's got the same Belgian milk chocolate shell with white chocolate face, boots and crisp chocolate button decorations as the original Colin. 

But instead of buttercream and rolled sponge, you'll find a chocolate sponge and chocolate sauce core surrounded by chocolate mascarpone ice cream.

Arctic Colin costs £16 and M&S says he serves eight people. At 765g, he's a little weightier than the cake version (625g), but around the same size overall.

You're meant to take him out of the freezer 40 minutes before serving to allow him time to soften up a bit. It's worth doing this; otherwise you'll struggle to slice him, and you might find the cakey centre a bit tough.

Be warned, you might find the bigger problem is fitting the large cardboard box into the freezer in the first place. My parents have a large standalone freezer, but even they struggled to make room. 

You could decant him into a plastic bag to save space, but his decorative shell coating may not survive the experience if space is tight.

What does Arctic Colin taste like: first impressions from a Which? food editor - and the kids' verdict

My niece and nephew were very excited to try Cold Colin. They love the original version, and I was intrigued, too. I'm not averse to indulging in a chocolatey caterpillar cake if the occasion calls for it.

We left him to warm up a bit first and then freed him from his box. On first impressions, he looked almost exactly like the cake version, just with a light frosting of ice over the top.

Cutting a slice was relatively easy. As with the standard version, it's always a bit tricky to cut the chocolate cleanly, but overall it wasn't an issue. The slices looked pleasing and neat, and the insides looked tempting. 

The chocolate mascarpone ice cream had quite a grown-up taste; it was rich, creamy and chocolatey, and I really enjoyed it - as did my parents. The kids were a bit less sure though. 

The chocolatey sauce was generally considered gooey and delicious, but everyone thought the sponge centre was a bit dense and dry. I thought the sweet chocolate outer shell and rich ice cream somewhat overpowered the other flavours.

Surprisingly, my mum, who I thought would find it too sweet, liked it the most, while the kids declared that while it was OK, they preferred the original Colin overall.

It’s a rich and decadent dessert, but from our family tryout, it seemed to appeal more to the young-at-heart adults than the kids.

Still, it's worth a try - especially if you enjoy the sound of the ice cream middle (definitely my favourite part!).

Everybody felt the price was steep, though, and I wouldn't say anyone was clamouring for more. That might be because it's so rich that one slice feels like plenty.

Ultimately, we didn't feel it gave off quite the same fun feel as OG Colin, and the lighter sponge and buttercream filling in the cake version makes it a bit more party-friendly and moreish.

Serving tip: We found it went well with a splash of stewed red berries and berry sauce, as that cut through the richness of the chocolate a little bit. 

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How healthy is Arctic Colin?

Colin is definitely a special occasion treat, and I don't think anyone will attempt to claim he's a healthy serve, frozen or otherwise!

However, I compared the ingredient lists and nutrition info of the original and frozen versions to see how they differ, and there are notable differences.

Arctic Colin is pretty high in sugar and fat; a 96g serving contains almost the entire adult daily allowance of both (25.2g sugar and 18.2g saturated fat) and exceeds a child's daily recommended limit of sugar. 

I will say though that when divided by eight (the suggested number of servings) the slices are quite generous, so smaller slices will bring this down a bit.

Colin the Caterpillar cake is lower in saturated fat but has almost double the amount of sugar per 100g. He's designed to feed 10, and one 63g serving has 28.9g sugar and 7.8g saturated fat. 

The ingredients list is reassuringly simple, though, and not that different to what you'd use if baking something similar at home, give or take the odd emulsifier.

You can buy Arctic Colin at M&S (in-store) or Ocado

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Are there cheaper alternatives to Arctic Colin the Caterpillar?

If you're hoping a certain budget supermarket might bring out a cheaper copycat, you'll be in for a bit of a wait. M&S says it has a year-long exclusivity contract with the supplier, so it may be a while before any iced-dupes appear. 

However, Aldi did make a cheeky show of chucking its Cuthbert caterpillar in the freezer section when Arctic Colin made his debut.

You can be sure we'll be looking to do a proper blind-tasting comparison when any rivals do arrive, as we have with supermarket caterpillar cakes previously (Co-op's Charlie caterpillar was the sleeper hit when we tested them with a large panel of people in 2024).

I had a scout round the supermarkets, and couldn't find many frozen desserts that are similar to Arctic Colin. He's one of a kind (for now, at least). The nearest options if you're after a cheaper chocolate hit are typically frozen chocolate cheesecakes, gateaux and meringue roulades. 

Here's a round-up of frozen chocolate gateaux, which are made of chocolate mousse and sponge and probably the most similar option:

• Asda Chocolate Gateau, £2.98 for 600g (serves 8), available from Asda
• Iceland Chocolate Gateau, £2.25 for 350g (serves 5), available from Iceland
• Morrisons Chocolate Gateau, £3.75 for 350g (serves 5), available from Morrisons
• Tesco Chocolate Gateau, £3 for 600g (serves 8), available from Tesco
• Sainsburys Chocolate Gateau, £3 for 600g (serves 8), available from Sainsbury's
• Coppenrath & Wiese Chocolate Gateau, £3.15 for 350g (6 servings), available from Ocado

You could, of course, get creative and have a go at making your own.

Aldi has, however, just launched a 'gender reveal' limited edition Cuthbert Caterpillar (its rival version of the original chocolate cake), with pink or blue frosting inside. The cynic in me wonders if this is trying to steal poor Arctic Colin's thunder...

You can't buy it in stores, but you can enter Aldi's competition to win one.

Best ice cream makers - want to nail that chocolate mascarpone ice cream at home? Make sure you've got an ice cream machine that's up to the job