This article was originally published in 2018.
Nothing says Christmas like tricking a member of your family into unwittingly eating something they despise.
And Scottish mezzo Judy Brown has now turned this pastime into a festive tradition, preying upon her father’s love for Ferrero Rocher chocolates with both the patience and remorseless intent of a spider luring an unsuspecting fly into its web.
Because this isn’t the first time the poor man has fallen foul of his daughter’s cunning. But that’s not to say he’s a fool for falling for the same ploy twice...
For his daughter waited for a full year to elapse before repackaging her prank – in an even more devious way.
Back in 2016, Brown launched her inaugural ruse by substituting random raw sprouts in the wrappers of a selection box of Ferrero Rocher. “It worked a treat,” she remarked at the time, gleeful at having tricked her father into devouring a raw sprout.
After waiting for a full 24 months to allow the trauma to fade, this year Brown polished the same trick “with the devil at my elbow” – adding an exterior of melted chocolate and chopped hazelnuts beneath the wrappers to alleviate the suspicions of her poor father.
The subterfuge paid off, with the evidence taking the form of a hastily-discarded, half eaten chocolate coated sprout.
Showing off her trophy, a triumphant Brown remarked: “I am still chuckling. I will all day long. I know his retribution will be swift and terrible, but not Christmas gift could be greater than this: seeing my Dad, despite his efforts to avoid it, unwittingly eat a raw sprout. Merry Christmas, one and all.”