M&S Colin the Caterpillar Softies - 150g

Colin is the M&S chocolate caterpillar cake that has turned up at British birthdays, leaving dos and school parties for years, usually with a crowd of copycats trailing behind him. The Softies take him off the cake stand and into the sweet aisle, next to the rest of the M&S sweet family.

There is no M&S food hall round the corner in Canada, which is exactly why people come looking. It is the bag that went in the party bag, the one bought for the train home, the one your mum kept in her handbag for emergencies.

They come in a 150g bag, which is a good handful each for a couple of people or one evening for someone determined. Keep the bag closed, somewhere cool and dry, and it sits happily in the cupboard until the next film night, lunchbox or long drive.

People who grab Colin rarely stop at one bag of British sweets. They tend to add a few more M&S favourites, a packet of proper biscuits and a box of tea, and call it a care package for themselves.