Asda has unveiled a new festive cake that it describes as a “rival to Colin the Caterpillar”.

Available in selected Asda stores from 16 October, Roddy the Reindeer has a long chocolate sponge body topped with chocolate frostings and white fondant stars. The cake is finished with an iced face, two ears and a red nose.

The cake, which is priced at £6, is available in original and free-from variants.

“Christmas is all about fun and novelty - we’ve lived and breathed this to create Roddy,” said Asda free-from spokesperson Vicky Philips. “We believe everyone should be able to enjoy delicious treats and with our free-from variant, no one will miss out. We’re expecting Roddy to melt a lot of hearts with his little red nose this year.”

Asda recently launched The Crash Cake that takes inspiration from a popular 1970s board game Kerplunk.

See here for further news of retailers’ Christmas launches.