Friday Favorites: Epcot UK Pavilion Chocolate

One of our favorite things to do when visiting Epcot’s World Showcase is spend time exploring the shops. We aren’t “shoppers” in that we spend a ton of money in them (though in my head, I redo my whole house in a different country each trip, I think) but there is always so much to look at!

We also like to eat. It turns out, the shops are good for this, too! In each of the World Showcase pavilion shops you can find snack items from the representative countries. Sweet tooth that I am, I tend to gravitate toward the candy – of which Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom come to mind either for their variety or their delicious selection. (I’m looking at you, Karamel Kuche).

The other day, though, at a trip to our amazing local (ginormous) food market, Jungle Jim’s – a legitimate tourist destination in and of itself – I realized that my three Disney Kids had yet to experience some of the goodness that is “Epcot Candy”.  I was reminded at this particular location, because Jungle Jim’s also has a vast selection of international candies.

I had done a similar taste test of sorts with my family prior to their first trip to Walt Disney World, not to mention that I have sampled these particular candies countless times before and since, so I knew what I liked best.  Because the pricing of international candy is similar to that of Walt Disney World, I only chose ones we knew we would enjoy.

In Epcot, you can find chocolate phenomena that, until recently, we hadn’t seen in the US.  Candy with air pockets – bubbles, ripples, all sorts of things.  Personally, we simply aren’t fans of these. Maybe it’s conditioning, I don’t know – but the “crumble” that comes along with pockets of air simply isn’t appetizing in chocolate. They’re huge sellers overseas though, so don’t let me stop you from trying them next time you have the chance!

C. Nestle Inc

C. Cadbury.co.uk

C. galaxychocolate.co.uk

There are plenty of not-so-flaky/bubbly/ripply treats though, too, and this is where we tend to find ourselves lingering.  Particularly, our entire family has always loved the Curly Wurly:

C. oldtimecandy.com

Great chocolate (and please note that this is different from the Cadbury chocolate generally sold in the US, which is actually manufactured by Hershey), tons of chewy caramel (as in, so much you’ll be chewing a while)… delicious!

On this particular trip, I picked up the following – in no particular order, though each of which absolutely earns a place among For the Love of Disney’s “Favorite UK Chocolates”

• Curly Wurly (Cadbury)
• Shortcake Snack (Cadbury)
• Chocolate Orange (Terry’s)
• Sandwich Snack (Cadbury)

It should be noted, that the only reason Cadbury has three entries in this showdown, and specifically the two that look very similar, is incredibly noteworthy.

It’s because I knew one of them was to die for, but couldn’t remember which.  😉

So without further ado, and sparing you the shots of chocolate all over my kitchen (despite its lack of crumble, the Curly Wurly can certainly be messy), the results are in…

With every single one of the 1st place votes:

• Cadbury Sandwich Snack

And in second place by a hair (third place going to the popular US Christmas favorite in bar form, Terry’s Chocolate Orange):

• Cadbury Curly Wurly

So there you go, friends. The authoritative look on your snacking experience the next time you find yourself in World Showcase’s United Kingdom Pavilion.

Seriously though… did I miss your favorite? Will one of the above make your must-try list for your next trip?