Scotland Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Scotland Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Two years ago I found myself at the Scotland booth every opportunity I had because of the Scallop on a bed of creamed spinach and bacon…it was amazing, really life-changing, I kid you not!!  Then inexplicably they got rid of it and it wasn’t there last year.  (If you are looking for the Food and Wine Scallop, this year you’ll find it at the Wine and Dine booth, however, sadly it won’t be the ridiculously amazing one I described for you above, but still quite good!)  While I’m still furious over this event and the fact that again this year there is no Scallop in Scotland,  I returned again this year in hopes of them redeeming themselves over past errors.  Let’s see how it went….

Booth:

Another A+ for booth design.  Love the stone/castle look.  I suddenly have images in my head of Mel Gibson running around in a skirt slaying the English…

Menu:

Food:

• Traditional Scottish Lamb Stew with Neeps and Tatties – $4.75, DDP Snack Eligible
• Fresh Potato Pancake with Scottish Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream – $5.00, DDP Snack Eligible
• The Tipsy Laird: Whiskey-soaked Cake with Lemon Cream and Toasted Oats – $3.50, Vegetarian, DDP Snack Eligible

Beverages:

• Citrus Thistle featuring Hendrick’s Gin – $9.50
• Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Aged Stout – $3.75

Menu review:

Fresh Potato Pancake with Scottish Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream.  Right off the bat I’ll admit I’m not a fan of potato pancakes.  Every since I was little my dad made them for us and even though I didn’t like them he made us sit there until they were gone, So when I saw them on the menu it wasn’t like I was jumping for joy or anything.  That being said, it’s better than what I imagined.  The pancake itself is pretty flat, but seasoned nicely, and the sour cream only added to the flavor.  The salmon was a nice touch as well.  If this is your type of thing then I’m sure you’ll love it.

Traditional Scottish Lamb Stew with Neeps and Tatties.

Not really my first choice of a food to eat in Florida with the heat index at 97 degrees.  Again I’m not a huge lamb guy so this wasn’t my favorite dish as it did have a very distinct “gamey” taste.  I tried to be partial however.  In my opinion there should have been a bit more lamb as there were only 3 or 4 very small chunks.  The veggies were nice, but the mashed potatoes weren’t very good imo.  Of all the mashed I tasted at Food and Wine they were the worst.  Check out the ones that come with the Beef Skewer in Patagonia and you will be blown away!

Lastly was the The Tipsy Laird: Whiskey-soaked Cake with Lemon Cream and Toasted Oats.  It has an awesome name, but that’s about it though.  It was really lacking flavor throughout, a small portion and just disappointing all around.

Booth Summary and Grade:

Overall Scotland was a bit disappointing, especially over how 2 years ago it was my favorite booth.  If you like Potato Pancakes then that’s by far the best option here.  Dessert I would skip and the Lamb Stew only if you really like Lamb and maybe on a night when it’s cooler, not a lunch option imo.

If you have to get just one thing:  Fresh Potato Pancake

Grade:  6.5

Take a look at all of my 2016 Epcot Food and Wine articles.  I have the Top 15 Things You Must Try this year at Food and Wine, and also a complete Index of the Food and Wine Menus and other Helpful Info. I want you to be able to have the best info on the Festival so you don’t waste your time and you have the best time possible!

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Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think my review of Scotland at the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  What are your favorites?  What keeps you coming back again and again?  What would you like to see next year?  Let us know in the comments section below! 🙂