REVIEW: Ireland – 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

A staple of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival is of course Ireland, and it’s back in 2017.  We can’t wait to try some of the new items like the Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip and the Roasted Irish Sausage, so come along in my Ireland Review: 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival….

Ireland Booth:

Are we in the rolling hills outside Dublin?  Nope, we’re at Epcot Food and Wine Festival…

 

Ireland Menu:

So Ireland got a big menu overhaul from last year with only the dessert staying put for 2017.  The Seafood Fisherman’s Pie replaced by the Roasted Irish Sausage, and the Irish Cheese Selection Plate gave way to the Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip.

2016 Menu:

Here is this year’s menu 2017:

Food:

• Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy – $5.50, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended
• Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread – $4.75, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended
• Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard – $4.00, DDP Snack Credit

Beverages:

• Bunratty Meade Honey Wine – $5.50
• Guinness Blonde American Lager – $4.00  *Ziggy Recommended
• Twinings® Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka – $9.75  *Ziggy Recommended
• Twinings Pumpkin Chai Tea and Caramel Shake (Non-Alcoholic) – $4.75, DDP Snack Credit

 

Menu Review:

First we of course had to get an Irish beer for our food, so we got: Guinness Blonde American Lager.  Yeah so not really that Irish, this Guinness Blonde is brewed in Pennsylvania.  Hey, they’re cousins, so whatever.  Even though it’s not exactly Irish, it’s really good!  It has a Dark Golden color, nearly copper yellow, and very hoppy.  Yet at the same time it’s super smooth and not heavy feeling either.  I loved it and would recommend it for sure!

Guinness Blonde American AleNext up was the Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy.  New to the menu and delicious to boot!  Two moderate sized links which were very crisp outside, gave you that “snap” when you bite into them.  They were very well seasoned, but I wouldn’t call them spicy.  All meat and very little filler inside.  The potatoes underneath were solid, and the onions and gravy on top just brought this dish all together.  $5.50 is a little much maybe, but this was really flavorful and we’d come back for it again, especially when the sun goes down!

So of course Ireland is famous for its Cheddar, and while the cheese plate isn’t here this year, they took the replacement to the next level!!  The Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread.   The cheese was amazing, very smooth and creamy, and has a very sharp and rich cheddar flavor.  The stout is very pronounced, which I loved, kind of like you can taste the beer in the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup next door.  This stuff is amazing, and really addicting.  I hate to be a broken record, but even though the dark bread was pretty good, they once again didn’t give us enough of it, and were left with a bunch of dip left.  We went up to the counter and they gave us more bread no problem!  Don’t you love Disney service?

The Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard is a nice option if you are in a chocolaty mood.  It’s very simple, rich, dense chocolate cake, covered in custard!  It’s not my favorite dessert at Food and Wine, but it’ll hit that Chocolate fix your looking for.

One more drink we didn’t get this time but thought we’d mention is the Twinings® Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka (also comes in a non-alcoholic version).  I’m not a pumpkin fan, but in general this is a very popular drink with those who are.  Thick and creamy, and full of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and caramel. It’s essentially Fall in a glass!

Booth Summary and Grade:

We really liked the Ireland booth this year.  I think it was somewhat limited in only having 2 savory items and could use one more, but we were pretty pleased with our food.  Overall the Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip was the clear winner and something we’d definitely recommend to all.  Call me a sucker but anytime I can get a rich, creamy liquid cheese and good bread to dip in it, call me a happy camper! ?

If you have to get just one thing: Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip

Grade:  8

Take a look at all of my 2017 Epcot Food and Wine articles.  I have a 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Info Guide with a complete Index of the Food and Wine Menus, The Top NEW Items for 2017, Top Food and Wine Booths and more…I want you to be able to have the best info on the Festival so you have a great time and don’t waste your time!

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think of my Ireland Review 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Which was your favorite item?  Where does it rand on your list of 2017 Food and Wine booths?  Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to Walt Disney World, and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂