The Marriott Hotel at County Hall

The Thames and the Houses of Parliament make for a wonderful combination whatever the time of year. In summer, the sunsets of Waterloo Bridge are as good as those captured by Monet and in winter, when the snow falls, it gives it a timeless feel like you could be in London at any point in the past few centuries.

So why then did Sally Bercow have to ruin it all?

Ever since that infamous photoshoot with the Evening Standard with her covered in only a bedsheet, proclaiming that women find her husband, the Speaker of the House of Commons, irresistible because he can tell Nick Clegg to shut up, I’ve not been able to look at Big Ben in the same way. Just as we’re only ever three feet away from a rat, on the South Bank you’re only ever a hundred yards from Sally Bercow waiting to tell you about how much she likes bonking.

And yet I refuse to let Sally Bercow ruin my appreciation of the South Bank. Right about this time of year, it’s gearing up for its festive period with markets selling all kinds of fancy goods. Yet the weather is starting to turn and so after a brief perusal of what was on offer, my companion and I dropped in at the Marriott Hotel’s bar to get one of their Winter Warmers on the go.

The bar offers wonderful views across the Thames with not any chance of Sally Bercow disturbing your time. I settled down with a Tanquerary Bramble Bush whilst my companion leant back into his chair with a sage, elderflower and cucumber white sangria.

A common complaint about cocktail bars is that you hardly get anything for your money. Nothing could be further from the truth here. The glasses containing the drinks were not so much glasses as vases, and it left us a long time to ease back and enjoy the fading sun over the Thames.

We finished up with a new addition to the menu, the Chocolate Gingerbread, a mixture of brandy, chocolate liqueur as well as gingerbread flavouring. Although a little heavy on the brandy, it was elegant and a lip-smackingly good way to finish off a tidy afternoon’s work.

The Marriott Hotel County Hall
London County Hall
Westminster Bridge Road
Waterloo
SE1 7PB