M&S brings back Christmas Colin the Caterpillar and we can't cope with his cute Santa hat

M&S has launched its Christmas food collection for 2020 and it includes the return of the festive-version of Colin the Caterpillar, which comes complete with the cutest Santa hat.

The return of the Yuletide Colin the Caterpillar cake is just the news we needed to cheer us up amid concerns about possible limits on the number of family members we can have round to enjoy the festivities this year.

Back for another turn as a show-stopping centrepiece, the sweet treat has all the usual chocolatey deliciousness of the usual cake roll, but with a festive reboot.

Christmas Colin is decorated with present-shaped chocolate on his back, confectionary stockings on his – many – feet and the sweetest little Santa hat perched on his head.

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The £10 cake forms part of M&S’s Christmas food collection, which is now available for preorder.

But if you were thinking you might tuck into a cheeky slice of Colin this side of advent, you’ll be disappointed to learn you won’t be able to pick him up until 22 December.

“Everyone’s favourite caterpillar has gone all seasonal with a makeover, including a festive Santa hat and edible decorations,” M&S says of the seasonal sweet treat. “A moreish chocolate sponge roll filled with chocolate buttercream and smothered in delicious milk chocolate.”

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Festive Colin is a good option for those who aren’t keen on standard Christmas cake or pudding.

M&S also has some other sweet alternatives and Percy Pig fans are in for a treat, especially if they’re not fans of traditional mince pies.

M&S has created Percymas Pig pies, of which it says: “These fun alternative mince pies combine tasty shortcrust pastry with a fruity filling and a Percy Pig flavoured sponge, topped with Percy Pig-flavoured fondant icing. The cherry on the cake? Percy himself, of course.”

Intriguing.

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Other sweet treats on the festive menu include Santa’s Yumnut (is it just us who can’t help giggling at this name?), which combines 48 layers with all the features of yum yums, with Rudolph the red nose doughnuts - “delicious caramel-iced doughnuts topped with caramel-flavoured chocolate curls and finished with a cute Rudolph face”.

If it’s savoury snacks that float your festive boat, the supermarket has rebooted its crumpet canapés for 2020 with a cheesy marmite offering, and will be selling a sausage roll stack of 32 of the little beauties decorated with pastry stars for £12.

Read more: Lindt is launching its first ever chocolate tin for Christmas

We’ve already seen that M&S has brought back its amazing snow-globe gin liqueurs, which feature flecks of edible gold and magically light up.

The full festive range will launch on 1 October on the M&S website, and also includes more vegan offerings and out-of-the-ordinary party canapés, including chip shop-style Battered Mini Sausages, Chicken Doughnut Dippers and Plant Kitchen Mini No Chicken Kievs with all the garlicky flavour, but none of the actual meat.

Considering we could well be heading into a second lockdown, we’re totally here for an indulgent Christmas

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