New details on Leaky Cauldron fare and Fortescue’s ice cream flavors revealed

by · May 30, 2014

We have just received information on some of the brand new delicious food coming to the Diagon Alley expansion at Universal Orlando, thanks to Jim Hill over at the Huffington Post.  You won’t believe what delicious dishes and mouthwatering ice cream flavors are coming.  We are drooling just thinking about it!

Visitors to the park can find the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, which has been designed to give the park-goers a brand new modern dining experience while still remaining true to the “grubby-looking pub” that we all know so well from the Harry Potter books and films.  Hill described a brand new digital order-taking system that will help make the dining experience quick, modern, and efficient… all of which is behind-the-scenes, of course.  Ric Florell, the senior vice president of Universal Orlando, talked about the differences between the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks, saying,

Here, we wanted a very different dining experience than guests get over in Hogsmeade Village at the Three Broomsticks. There, people order their food, it’s then handed to them on a tray and they have to carry all that out into the restaurant by themselves as they’re being led to their table. Here, we wanted to marry the speed of quick service dining to the table service experience. So as soon as you’re finished placing your order, you’re handed a candle with a number on it. You’re then led into the main dining area at the Leaky Cauldron to be seated. And it’s that candle [that] helps the Universal team member who’s actually got your food find your table and then deliver your order.

In addition to the new dining experience, there will a virtual cornucopia of brand new delicious dishes that will stay true to the English roots of the Leaky Cauldron experience, but will also be tweaked slightly with a “healthful American twist.”  Steven Jayson, the vice president and corporate chef at Universal Orlando, described a new dish called the Ploughman’s Platter:

In our effort to keep thing authentic as possible, this features three cheeses that we’re having flown in from Britain as well as a traditional Scotch [e]gg. Which would probably be the richest part of this meal, given that it’s a hard-boiled egg wrapped with sausage, which is breaded & then fried. But in an effort to make our Ploughman Batter as healthful as possible, our Scotch [e]gg is flash fried. It’s not in the deep fryer for very long, plus the coating that we use on this item is kind of thin. We supplement that with a beautiful apple & beet salad, some Branston [p]ickle [r]elish, plus a field green kind of salad and some roasted tomatoes. So you’ve got some lighter items in there alongside the authentic British pub fare. You’ve got some protein with the eggs & the cheese, some carbs with the peasant bread. So in the end, it’s a balanced meal.

Keeping in mind the stark contrast in climate between England and Florida, the chefs at Universal Studios have created meals designed to be delicious but not terribly heavy so that people can still enjoy the park and the food in the hot weather.  Chef Steven Jayson said,

Take — for example — our Fisherman’s Pie, which has three different types of fish in it. Some beautiful Scottish salmon, some of the fresh cod we have flown in every day from Alaska and some shrimp. It’s topped off with a crust of potatoes, and we have some peas mixed in with it. We then pair this dish up with a salad to kind of get that balance and then add a nice oven-roasted plum tomato.

In addition to these delicious meals, Hill mentioned that there will also be traditional English dishes such as Toads in a Hole (sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter), bangers and mash with minted peas, and a sampler platter of pies, including a Fisherman’s Pie and a Cottage Pie.  Here are some mouthwatering images of the food in the Leaky Cauldron:

Now don’t worry; you won’t be going thirsty with all of this delicious new food to eat.  The Leaky Cauldron will feature new beverages as well!  Florell described a few of the new additions:

Now we knew that we were never going to be able to top Butterbeer. Which is still going to be served here at the Leaky Cauldron. So we thought that we’d try and create some other new beverages, which would then take their inspirations directly from the ‘Harry Potter’ movies. So we have things on tap here like Peachtree Fizzing Tea, Tongue-[T]ying Lemon Squash and Fishy Green Ale.

Hill described the Fishy Green Ale as “a mint-flavored beverage that you have to sip through a huge black straw,” and at the bottom of the glass you will find “a handful of faux-fish eggs, which are actually these small gelatin balls filled with this blueberry-flavored liquid” that “immediately bursts in your mouth.”

In addition to the heartier fare, the Leaky Cauldron will feature some new desserts, which Hill also described as delicious:

As you might expect, the Leaky Cauldron does feature a few dessert offerings. These include a sticky toffee pudding, which will be served warm with a scoop of ice cream on top as well as a chocolate potted cream with a bit of black cherry sauce that chocoholics are just going to die for.

Thanks to the Universal blog, we also have a brand new menu listing of food in addition to Hill’s tips:

  • Bangers and Mash (traditional roasted sausages with creamy mashed potatoes)
  • Toad in the Hole (traditional sausage baked into a Yorkshire pudding and served with onion gravy)
  • Cottage Pie (a savory combination of meat and vegetables in a potato crust)
  • Fisherman’s Pie (salmon, shrimp and cod baked together under a potato crust)
  • Beef, Lamb & Guinness Stew (served in a bread bowl)
  • Ploughman’s Platter (a feast of English cheeses, crusty bread, cornichon pickles, apple beet salad, Branston pickle, and a Scotch egg)
  • Split Pea Soup
  • Banger Pub Style Sandwich
  • Fish and Chips
  • And more!

As well as a listing of the beverages offered:

  • Fishy Green Ale (it’s Fishy Green Ale, use your imagination!)
  • Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice
  • Tongue-Tying Lemon Squash
  • Peachtree Fizzing Tea
  • Wizard’s Brew (draught beer)
  • Dragon Scale (draught beer)
  • Gillywater
  • Pumpkin Juice
  • Butterbeer

And now, as if we don’t already have you drooling enough by this point, Hill went on to describe some of the delicious new ice cream flavors that will be served at Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, such as clotted cream, Earl-Grey and lavender, chocolate and chili, and, wait for it…soft-serve Butterbeer ice cream!  That’s right, just as we thought there could be no topping the delicious Butterbeer served in Hogsmeade and the Leaky Cauldron, now comes this brand new and park-exclusive ice cream treat.

Universal has also revealed the following flavors:

  • Earl Grey and Lavender
  • Chocolate-Chili
  • Clotted Cream
  • Apple Crumble
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding
  • Salted Caramel Blondie
  • Chocolate and Raspberry
  • Strawberry and Peanut Butter
  • Orange Marmalade
  • Butterbeer

Out of all the delicious food here, what are you most excited about trying?  We think you can guess what we’re looking forward to most.  Let us know in the comments below!