22 Jul 2026
James Cameron dons his gladrags for a night of indulgence at the luxury hotel…
Sopwell House recently threw open its doors to the great and good of St Albans (or at least those who are members of the Chamber of Commerce) to help them celebrate the 40th anniversary of the hotel in its current form.
This was the culmination of celebrations that have included themed cocktails in the Octagon Bar from the past four decades and retro dishes on offer in the Brasserie, and both of these were represented at the party.
I was delighted to be reunited with the Chicken Cordon Bleu that had so enchanted me on my last visit, as well as completing the set at last with the final themed cocktail that I had been too sensible to add to the other three before dining.
This was the Momo Hachi, a very high-class take on the usually low-class Sex on the Beach.
With peach syrup and vodka plus orange sake and clarified milk it was the perfect way to celebrate both Sopwell House’s birthday and the obligingly beautiful weather.
As well as the dishes from the Brasserie there was sushi and more substantial fare from the Asian-themed Omboo restaurant plus a full-on hog roast. For the sweet-toothed they offered ice creams, strawberries, trifle and a selection of sweet-shop pick and mix classics. It was great to be able to try a little bit of everything, rather than being stuck with a stupid whole big delicious single meal.
Drink offerings were also varied; as well as the cocktails (if you ever make it that far) there was Champagne and expertly mixed Pimms, which made me remember just how great Pimms is.
To tie in with the anniversary proceedings had a distinctly ‘80s theme. Music was provided by synth-pop experts ‘Our Friends Electric’, there were Pac-Man and Scalextric sets to play with and the staff were decked out in ‘Choose Sopwell’ T-shirts.
Combined with the lazily relentless sun it really brought to mind the endless and endlessly sunny summer holidays of my youth, only with better quality beer. They had even scheduled the event for Flying Ant Day for maximum nostalgic impact.
Presiding over the event like a bountiful beneficial spirit was a large hot-air balloon, which most of you probably saw out and about the next morning on your way to work. If the sun did become too much, you could retreat into a dining room that was decked out with Christmas decorations for some reason, which was psychologically if not physically cooling.
Over 350 guests attended what was an absolutely magical event, and the team at Sopwell House have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can definitely throw a shindig. I very much look forward to the COVID and Brexit themed party for their 80th anniversary!
