Marquis of Westminster

I went to meet my new friend Maggie yesterday evening. As a wine writer I knew the very mention of the ‘S’ word would have her heart racing and she was behind me all the way when I suggested The Marquis of Westminster in Victoria.

Someone who knows about this sort of thing had told me that if I ever found myself roaming around Pimlico and felt a calling for my favourite tipple then this was the place to go. This part of London has always intrigued me. It’s so very back there in time, almost unreal with its white fondant facades, bowler hat sightings and wine bars that look as if their clientele have had no change in lifestyle since the ’70s. They make me want to head on in and have a really epic, boozy lunch, culminating in Withnail-esque measures of brandy and endless cigarillos…

The pub was a welcome sight after a good lag along Belgrave Road. I swung through the lighter-than-I’d-imagined doors and was confronted with a few faces shocked at my zealous entrance. Luckily it’s a modestly lit place and I was able to find my way to the bar more or less under cover of darkness.

“So I hear you do a fine line in sherry” I enthused, already salivating at the thought of the bounty of choices about to be laid before me. The barman looked a bit dead pan but decided to play along, “Ah yes, we have Manzanilla!” he declared with a finality that caused me immediate concern. “And…?” I asked. “And only that, but it is very good”.

Well of course I went for it despite feeling like I’d been a bit scuppered. Maggie turned up and we got two glasses – they both arrived in little thimbles and I had to request a decant. This, along with never being given enough ice, is an ongoing battle I have in pubs all over the country.  An enormous jar of glossy olives provided some distraction and soon Maggie and I were glugging back a fine, salty drop of sherry whilst throwing back feta-stuffed green olives.

We had decided to meet to discuss my tour. I’m planning a big trip round Britain in my chocolate van and Maggie had some ideas. The plan is to take to the open road and discover how hospitable we are as a nation. I am seeking people to host me for dinner and I’ll provide the (chocolate) dessert. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do ever since I first bought the van – to explore Britain and to make and sell chocolate along the way, writing about it in my blog.

It wasn’t long before I needed some kind of immediate fix – brownies with ice cream! A slab of warm brownie arrived in extra quick time with a ball of Walls-like vanilla ice cream on the side. The brownie wasn’t anything amazing – more a piece of cake than anything – but it was chocolatey enough and anything served at that temperature can cover a multitude of sins.

I’ll definitely head back to the Marquis for a drink  – they have some really great wines, all served by the glass – but for a piece of the sherry action I’d have to bring a large hip flask and swig it discreetly in one of the pub’s many plunging shadows.