Snacks Around the World Showcase – United Kingdom
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We’re making our way around Epcot’s World Showcase, finding interesting packaged snacks to try. We have already visited Japan and Canada, and tried some red bean paste buns, crackers, and a maple lollipop so now it’s time to try a United Kingdom snack! What will we find to munch on there?
Snack Rules
- No snacks over $10; preferably less than $5
- As unusual as possible
- Something I personally would eat
Let’s go and see what we can find!
The United Kingdom pavilion is another that has a larger footprint than you first may think. On the lake side, there’s the Rose & Crown Pub. They serve traditional pub fare (including a scotch egg and a ploughman’s lunch) as well a selection of beers and wine.
Across the street, you will see several shops that flow into each other, and if you keep walking down the street toward the back of the pavilion, you’ll find an outdoor stage with some gardens surrounding it.
Inside the shops there’s a small section of snacks and some jellies and crackers as well, ranging in price from $4.95-$12.95.
A cookie section offers different options, including Farley’s Rusks, which has the unusual direction to “mash with milk” on the front.
Go Bananas Bear is a box of a cookies shaped like bears, and made with real bananas! It’s a really cute box and the cookies are sure to be cute as well, but they seemed expensive for the size, so I gave this a pass.
A often changed display contained some sour candy and mints in a old-fashioned tin. I have tried the mints previously, and they are ridiculously strong, with very little sweetness.
The best part of any snack display has to be the candy section, and the United Kingdom doesn’t disappoint. There are some familiar candies as well as some completely unfamiliar ones. Most of the chocolate is made by Cadbury, which we mostly see in the United States around Easter, with the Cadbury creme eggs.
I am somewhat of a candy connoisseur (really, I just love candy) so I have actually tried all of the candy options in the United Kingdom, and I highly recommend trying a Curly Wurly or the Crunchie bar. Both are made by Cadbury, and both don’t really have an American counterpart. The Curly Wurly is a braid of chewy chocolate coated caramel, and is particularly tasty when refrigerated. The Crunchie bar is also chocolate coated, and inside you’ll find a honeycomb of toffee. The Crunchie bar is mentioned in National Velvet as the treat of the year (the kids in the book would pick only one sweet to eat for the entire year).
After examining all of the options, I decided to skip the candy (since I have previous experience with all of it), and went with a bag of chips, which cost $2.95.
Interestingly, the bag does say chips, even though what we know of as chips in the United States are called crisps in the United Kingdom. A quick search shows the bags usually do say crisps, which leads me to believe that these are specially packaged for American consumers, so as not to confuse them.
These chips are made of local potatoes (meaning Herefordshire), and made in small batches, with “the jacket on.”
They are also gluten-free, vegetarian friendly, and are made with nothing artificial.
But how do they taste? The chips were nicely crunchy without being TOO crunchy, thicker than a lot of chips but not quite as crunchy as kettle cooked chips. The cheddar flavor was quite mild, with a much stronger chive flavor. It was lightly salted, and didn’t have much visible seasoning. Overall, it was a tasty chip that I would enjoy eating again.
So what do you think about the snack options in the United Kingdom? Do you think you would enjoy the United Kingdom snack? Check back soon to see where our next snack quest takes us!
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The Curly Wurly used to be available in the US probably 35 years ago, it was called the “Marathon Bar” and was one of my favorites at the Kenosha, WI Ice Skating Rink. Still just as good today as I remember as a kid!
I hate when they discontinue or change the name of things… It makes it hard to find your favorites! Of course, I LOVE trying new candies, so I do need them to get rid of some to make room for new ones, but… leave my favorites alone. 🙂
You’re right that the Tyrells crisps/chips have been repackaged for the US (just compared them to the bag I was eating whilst reading the blog). The giveaway is the best before date which is the opposite way round for us brits 🙂
Pity you didn’t try the Branston pickle, would love to hear what you thought of it!
What’s a Branston pickle? I see it in my picture, but I didn’t really examine it when I was shopping. I have another trip coming up soon, so maybe I’ll stop in and give it a try. Is is… a normal pickle??
Branston pickle is a kind of relish – well that’s the closest I can think to describe it. Its good with hard cheese and crackers and is often an accompaniment to a Ploughman’s Lunch
Oh, that makes sense. I will have to try it! Thanks for the suggestion!
Surely the only snack to have in the UK pavilion would be a jammy dodger or some fig rolls 😉 As Len and Laurel would know. x
I tried a jammy dodger… I think it was a bit too weird for me. I didn’t desperately want more (like when I tried the curly wurly)
You should have tried a HobNob, they are a favourite in our family. You missed the Crimbles cookies under the Fruit Shoots. They would have been worth trying but probably not so different from what is already available in the US.
As for Cadbury unfortunately Kraft appear to be making a good attempt at ruining the products and brand.
I have noticed that Cadbury seems to have changed recently. It’s disappointing, I must say. And I keep meaning to try a HobNob, because everyone is always talking about them. I will have to get one next time I’m in Epcot. Thanks for commenting!
Hobnobs – dunked in a cup of tea (proper HOT tea – with milk) you can’t beat it!
I LOVE hot tea and milk… but it’s rare here. People look at me funny when I drink it. 🙂
The Farleys risks are a baby food here in the UK, been around for decades. They can be eaten plain like a cookie, or as per the article mashed up with milk to give a snack/meal to a baby just moving onto solids. Hope that makes sense.
Oh, that makes total sense! We have something here like that, but I don’t remember what it’s called (I don’t have kids yet), but I understand. Thanks!
I’m now wishing I could just pop over to Epcot and get a handful of the Cadbury chocolate bars and make my own UK chocolate schmorgas board! Thanks for writing such a mouth-watering article (now I will be tormented for the rest of the day…) 🙂
I know! It was really hard to look at these pictures without desperately wanting all of the chocolates. Luckily, I have a couple stashed away for the start of school that I could break into… 🙂 Thanks!