Friday 23 April 2021

Crumbs!


 Did you sing this when the children were young - I taught it to Rosie last summer when we were doing life-cycles. However I always sing she and make the caterpillar female. Not because of militant feminist principles - but because you cannot expect a male butterfly to come back and lay eggs! [surely I'm not the only person to spot the error here]

Caterpillars have long been popular with children. In 1865, Alice met a hookah-smoking creature in Wonderland. But ten years before that, Margaret Gatty's "Hedgerow Tales" had included Charlotte the Caterpillar [a creature full of curiosity and great optimism] .
And in 1969, Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar chomped his way onto our bookshelves. So I'm not surprised that an enterprising person at M&S thought in 1990 that a caterpillar birthday cake would be a good seller. After all, it's much easier to slice up a Swiss roll for the children's party bags than a Victoria sponge. Colin arrived - and later his wife Connie 
And everyone got in on the act, Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury's and finally Aldi. 
Even Lakeland produce a kit to produce your own. And the worm [caterpillar] has finally turned. Piping guns at dawn, and threatened legal action. 
I've never purchased any of these cakes [I did attempt to turn a Sainsbury's Chocolate Swiss roll into a train back in the 1980s with buttercream, chocolate fingers and Smarties. It was rather chaotic but the children still ate it] 
According to this chart, I should have had a Cuthbert Cake, and Bob is due for Wiggles. 
  • Do you think Lidl will be getting on on the act? 
  • And what would they call their cake? 
  • And have you eaten any of these? 
  • Which would you recommend? 
UPDATE Jane has commented below about knitting a caterpillar. I've just found a picture of the pattern she's referring to. I would certainly find it easier to knit one than bake one! 






9 comments:

  1. Creepy Colin would be for me.

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  2. I’ve never eaten one of these cakes, but I have knitted a caterpillar.
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cuddle-me-caterpillar
    It’s a great pattern!

    Jane from Dorset

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    Replies
    1. That's gorgeous... I've added a picture. Thank you!

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    2. And my name has reappeared on comments!

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  3. You got that train idea from the Jane Asher party cake book I'm sure! We loved her books!
    I think you mean that Colin is the M&S one, not Cuthbert.
    I've had some of various ones of these over the years for Staff room birthdays but not sure which.

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    Replies
    1. Colin's name corrected (thanks) Kezzie, you forget how old I am, my train was from a much older Marguerite Patten cookbook of my Mum's! But Jane Ashers books were indeed great fun - cookbooks and party costume ideas

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  4. I remember my nieces and nephews, and now great- nieces and nephews, reading the very hungry caterpillar! I just read yesterday's post, so will add that making a wish and pulling the wishbone apart is done here as well. And I remember doing it as a child growing up moving around rural South America (different mining areas), tho I don't recall if that's because my parents were american or it was a custom there as well. Lots of British heritage there
    as well. Best, Celie

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  5. I read the Very Hungry Caterpillar book to my daughter and she's had an assortment of birthday cakes, but, no caterpillar cake!

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