A student has been left 'utterly defeated' after unknowingly scoffing down a potentially prize-winning Creme Egg - worth up to £10,000.
At the beginning of the year, Cadbury relaunched its popular Creme Egg hunt by hiding 146 half white, half milk chocolate versions across UK stores.
Chocolate lovers are still in with the chance of finding one of the rare eggs before the competition comes to an end March 17, the Mirror reports.
However, it seems one unlucky man was unaware so much was at stake when he purchased the sweet treat - leaving him with egg on his face.
Taking to Reddit, the man explained that he only found out about the competition recently - a mere few hours after eating one of the winners.
The student, who posted his story anonymously, confessed he had no idea that the egg was prize-winning until he saw an advert for the promotion just a few hours later when he had already eaten the chocolate treat and thrown the foil wrapper in a public bin.
He said: "I am an international student studying in the UK, and so I don’t really keep up with the ads here.
"A few months ago, Cadbury released 146 prize-winning eggs across the country with the chance of winning a range of cash prizes including £10,000 (which is half my university tuition).
"Long story short, I was scrolling through Instagram today and saw the prize-winning egg that looked identical to the one I ate a couple of hours ago.
"It then dawned on me. I potentially ate £10,000."
The man's blunder has left him facing "utter defeat" as he comes to terms with the potential jackpot he missed out on, as he added: "I don’t actually know what else to say other than utter defeat. I think I have officially hit the lowest point in the short 21 years of my life."
While finding one of the rare Creme Eggs is a difficult task in itself, the chances of actually bagging £10,000 are very slim - as only six of the 146 winning eggs are actually worth the top prize.
The six eggs were hidden in an Asda, Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and an independent retailer, while a further three eggs worth £5,000 on sale in a Waitrose, One Stop and a Booker shop.
Four eggs worth £1,000 are being sold across Iceland and Booths stores, and there are 12 eggs with prizes of £500, while the rest are scattered throughout participating retailers and are worth £100 each.
Commenters on the Reddit post were sympathetic to the man's plight, but many of them suggested he may be able to salvage his prize if he kept hold of his wrapper.
One person claimed: "To claim, you simply call a number that’s printed on the tin foil wrapping of the winning egg."
While another added: "That's irrelevant. Even if you ate the egg, the code you need is on the wrapper, you don't need the egg itself. So you enjoyed the chocolate, get the packaging out of the bin and collect your winnings!"
Unfortunately for the student, he had been eating his egg while out and about - so threw the foil wrapper into a public bin and was unable to retrieve it.
However, terms and conditions for the Cadbury Creme Egg hunt state that a "picture of you not eating your winning egg may be required via email" to prove that you're the rightful owner of the winning egg.
Prizes must be claimed by June 17, 2022 and you’ll have to call a number that is printed on the tin foil wrapping of your winning egg to register your win.
And if you really can't resist the urge to scoff your winning egg, Cadbury has teamed up with sustainable fashion brand Rua Carlota to create a line of clothing that makes it impossible to actually eat the chocolate treats.
The line includes a top, balaclava, and gloves, and will be available for one day only on Friday 11 March at 9am, via the Rua Carlota website.
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