I spent St Paddy’s Day only eating Guinness-infused food – one dish stole the show

I tried a full day of Guinness-infused food and drink, from spice bags to soft serve, and was surprised by the outcome, leaving me with a few unexpected favourites

St Patrick’s Day felt like the perfect excuse to throw myself into the celebration and not just your usual nod to the occasion with a drink or something green, but a full day of eating and drinking only things made with Guinness. Now, I’ll be honest – I’m much more of a cocktail girl. A pint of Guinness wouldn’t usually be my go-to. But I do love Guinness punch – which is a creamy, sweet alcoholic drink originating in Jamaica, so I was curious to see how it would hold up across a full menu.

So when I headed to Market Place Food Hall in Leicester Square for its Guinness takeover, I was ready to see whether it would actually elevate the dishes or just feel a bit too heavy after a while.

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Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. The menu featured a string of Guinness-infused specials across different traders, which meant I got to try everything from burgers and lasagne to crumble, coffee and soft serve. And while some dishes stood out more than others, I learned early on Guinness has far more to offer than just a drink with a frothy top.

The first dish I knew I was going to love was Duck Shed’s Irish Duck Spice Bag. I already love a spice bag, so this felt like a safe place to start, but the real standout was the rich Guinness-infused curry sauce served with it and it may have been one of the best curry sauces I’ve ever had – It was packed with flavour and rich without feeling overwhelming. My only criticism is that I personally think I would have loved it even more with chicken strips instead of duck – but even with that, it was easily my favourite thing I tried all day.

Next was Mister Lasagna’s Guinness Genovese Lasagna, made with beef marinated in Guinness and a deeply flavoured ragu another strong dish. The beef had clearly been marinated beautifully, It felt hearty which is exactly what you want from a lasagna.

My only hesitation was the colour. It was a vibrant green colour and I do think if you’re someone who gets put off by food that looks a little unusual, this might not be the one for you.

Then came Cheeky Burger’s Don Paddy Guinness Burger and Guinness Animal Fries, was the pair I kept going back to The burger was stacked with a juicy beef patty, cheese, Guinness onions, rocket, signature Guinness sauce and crispy onions, with Irish crisps Tays adding another layer of crunch. The Guinness onions were especially good, going beyond simple caramelisation and bringing a deeper flavour that really made the burger stand out. The fries had that same indulgent feel and worked really well.

For dessert, Crumble Mania’s Guinness Crumble was a pleasant surprise. I love a good crumble anyway, and had high expectations for this and it certainly delivered. It had the right amount of crumble compared to the compote, and the custard pulled it together nicely. I didn’t get a particularly strong Guinness flavour from it, but in this case I was glad.

The same could be said for Soft Serve Society’s Guinness range, which included a Guinness cookie, Guinness coffee and Guinness soft serve. Out of the three, the iced Guinness coffee was my favourite – it was so smooth and just had a really nice flavour to it. The soft serve was also great, and the cookie had that gooey, almost cookie dough-like texture that made it hard not to keep picking at it.

To top it all off, I tried to finish the day in true Irish style with a pint of Guinness – well, a sip, if that counts and that was enough for me, so I quickly put it back down and stuck to getting my Guinness fix through the food (and slightly more palatable drink options).

Overall, spending St Patrick’s Day eating and drinking only Guinness-infused items sounds scary but it worked, and I was pleasantly surprised. And if I had to go back for just one thing, it would be that spice bag from Duck Shed without hesitation mainly for the curry sauce alone.