My experience eating at Jeremy Clarkson's pub and it's clear it's not like others
Steffan Rhys - ReachPLC's Deputy Content Hub Director - recently paid a visit to Jeremey Clarkson's pub - The Farmer's Dog - to experience what it had to offer. Here's what Steffan found during his time at the pub, which is clearly not like others...
I didn't expect to love Clarkson's Farm as much as I do, despite being the perfect target audience: white, forty-something bloke. But the Amazon Prime Video series is a joy. And, late to the party, I'm now working my through the series at a rate of around one a day, currently closing in on the end of the third of four series, reports WalesOnline.
There's a lot to love about it. It's funny, sad (I've just watched the piglets episode - if you know, you know), entertaining and informative but I think what I love the most is how passionate the show's biggest star is about farming and all its highs and lows.
A large part of the four series released so far follows Clarkson's attempts to open a restaurant on Diddly Squat Farm where he can sell the meat he rears and veg he grows, as well as that of his surrounding farms. But the council and some of his neighbours are having none of it, so Clarkson has to give up on that ambition and "thought instead of building a restaurant we would buy a pub".
The result is The Farmer's Dog about 10 miles south of the farm on the side of the A40 as it winds through the Oxfordshire countryside. It's about a 90-minute drive from Cardiff and eastern Wales, a pretty easy drive up the M4 and M5 motorways.
One thing that really seemed to annoy council officials and some neighbours of Clarkson's original farm shop was the huge number of people visiting, clogging up the surrounding roads and parking on grass verges. So I was expecting it to be busy. But I wasn't expecting this. It was bigger than the Eisteddfod.
There was a full-blown security and parking operation guiding arrivals into an enormous adjacent field with hundreds, if not thousands, of cars already parked in it. Visitors streamed like ants in formation between car park and pub and the stunned "bloody hell!" I heard from a fellow visitor pretty much sums up what I was thinking too.
I'd naively thought that, given I had a lunch reservation (secured easily, several weeks earlier, on the pub website) it would be a quiet affair. After all, only so many people can fit in a pub, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong.
The first signs that we were not just out at your average local pub for Sunday lunch came a few hundred yards from our destination when the queues of cars and motorbikes started. Stewards in high-vis jackets directed us to a nearby field where, despite the numbers, we got a parking space easily (the queues on the road were short-lived too, to be fair, and I didn't even come close to losing my temper). Once parked, it was a short walk across the road to the pub, which surely has to be the most popular in the country.
There were people everywhere. Dozens of people waited in line to get into the pub (you don't need to queue if you have a reservation and I was impressed that there was a staff member dedicated to finding those of us who did and ushering us to the front). Presumably, those queuing without a reservation were doing so in the hope of nabbing a table, a pint or a quick photo opp.
We were an hour early for lunch so wandered around the back of the pub to explore the large shop, outdoor bar and huge beer garden. There were thousands of people here, sitting in glorious sunshine on wooden benches or on the grass, enjoying a pint of Clarkson's own Hawkstone beer and the gorgeous views out over the Cotswolds farmland that the man himself is so taken with.
The shop sells the beer (lager, stout, IPA and cider) in crates and gift packs, as well as jams, marmalades, honey, candles, branded clothes and there's a butcher too. I came away with a crate of lager (£28 for 12 bottles) and a £12 jar of honey made from the bees on Diddly Squat Farm.
Sunday lunch in The Farmer's Dog - is it worth it?
A few minutes before our 1pm lunch reservation, we headed back to the pub entrance and were quickly directed to head inside and look for a man called John ("he looks like me but he's bald and he loves Welsh people").
Bald man located easily enough, he showed us to our table, possibly the best in the pub, tucked away on its own in a little corner right by the glass doors that opened out on to the large outside terrace. So not only did we have a view of the whole of the inside, we got the breeze and the sunlight of the outdoors too. It couldn't have been better.
Much like Clarkson does on his popular Amazon Prime show (I was now starting to realise just how big it is), the pub is very keen to show off its credentials as a supporter of local farms. A blackboard on the wall names local farmers Vanessa Hartley and Nick Sinden, as well as Rectory Farm, as sources.
We ordered a pint of the Hawkstone Black stout (£7) and a half of Hawkstone lager (£3.50). They're great drinks and we sat and waited for our food by watching staff move purposefully through the busy pub, carrying plates loaded up with generous and delicious-looking Sunday roasts and stepping over the odd dog lying at their owners' feet. There was a pianist playing a grand piano by the front door, a permanent queue at the bar for a pint and a feelgood buzz running through the whole place - everyone just seemed thrilled to be here, me included.
My starter of cold-smoked Bibury trout (£11.50) was fantastic - generous, thickly-sliced trout packed with flavour and possibly better than any smoked salmon I've ever had. I'd been to the Bibury trout farm a short drive away two days earlier, which made it all taste even better somehow, as did the accompanying horseradish cream and watercress salad.
I went for the two-meat main course with beef and pork (£26), which were the only two meat options. It came with roasted whole potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips, spring greens, red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire pudding and gravy made from the stout. It's hard to distinguish one well-made Sunday roast from another so I won't try too hard. This one was generous, tasty and largely faultless (I could probably have done with a drop more of the delicious gravy).
You could stick with one meat for £2 less and there was a vegetarian option of Wye Valley asparagus with pea pearl barley and a poached egg. Vegans didn't seem to be catered for, which may or may not be on purpose.
We were too full for pudding but we did see an Eton mess (£10.50) and poached rhubarb crumble cake with Cotswolds ice cream (£10.50) being carried past. Both looked great.
We were pretty much done with our food within the hour and the bill for two main courses, one starter and two drinks came to £80 (including service). Before leaving, I just wanted to soak in a bit more of the venue so took a look upstairs (also full, of course) and spotted the full-size tractor hanging from the ceiling above the pianist, which I'd somehow managed to miss on the way in.
Final thoughts
Jeremy Clarkson and Amazon Prime have created a phenomenon. But don't let that put you off. The queue for the car park was no more than a few minutes at most and that was the only waiting we did. Thanks to our reservation, we were straight in through the front door and we didn't need to queue at the shop for our beer and honey either. My over-riding impression of the huge crowd was how happy we all were to be there. If you wanted a beer (inside or outside) or something from the butcher, you should probably expect a queue, but that's pretty much it.
I felt a bit guilty about being one of the hordes of people taking over what was presumably a quiet and anonymous part of Oxfordshire 12 months ago, but reports suggest most people in the area are happy to have the pub so consider me guilt-free now.
I'm glad I went and will remember it for a long time. Pubs aren't only about food, they're about how they make you feel. And I loved every second of this trip. If it had been hammering down with rain, I might feel differently - but being from Wales, I should probably be used to that.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan shares loved-up snaps with doting partner
Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan took to her TikTok page to share a sweet post about her partner, James Booth, as she 'hopes to get this life with him forever' Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan took to her TikTok page to share a before-and-after picture of her and her long-term partner. The star, who is a new addition to the Amazon Prime Video programme, posted a selfie of her and her partner James Booth in 2018, as well as one of them now. In the 2025 picture, she leaned back on James as they soaked in a jacuzzi. "From party teenagers in 2018, to mid to late 20s in 2025 and like to be in bed before 10. I hope I get to this life with you forever," she captioned the wholesome post, which gained almost 10,000 likes. Fans took to the comment section to share their support for the happy couple, with one user writing: "Wishing you both eternal happiness," and another adding: "You two are so cute." One fan posted: "Wishing you the best." Joining the latest series, Harriet has been a major help to ex-Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson at Diddly Squat Farm, particularly when fan-favourite Kaleb Cooper headed off to work on various projects across the UK. Viewers have been cheering for nurse turned farm worker, marvelling at her passion for rural living and ambition to demonstrate that 'girly girls' like her can handle tractors and livestock as competently as her male counterparts. Nevertheless, her time on the programme was short-lived because of Kaleb's return, which left her newfound fans yearning for more. Thankfully, the star shares online videos to let followers stay tuned into her daily adventures, drawing in millions of views. Harriet and her partner James first met when they were both at a Young Farmers' Meeting all those years ago. In a recent post shared on social media, Harriet posted a video of James driving a tractor, hinting that he is four years her senior. In another post, she said: "The 'butterfly effect' is crazy because if I didn't join Young Farmers, we'd never have met." The star continued: "YFC gave me my whole life and for that I will be forever grateful!" Harriet also urged others to consider joining community groups, promising they will "meet the greatest people". Meanwhile, in the show, once Kaleb returned to Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, Harriet said an emotional goodbye to Jeremy. The presenter, who was on Top Gear for 25 years across two stints, told Harriet: "You saved my life. So, if we get stuck again, can we give you a call?"
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Where to stream Jaws in the UK for the iconic film's 50th anniversary
Audiences in the UK can now stream Steven Spielberg's iconic Jaws in their own homes. This summer marks 50 years since Jaws first terrorised cinema audiences, transforming the film industry and beach holidays forever. Released in 1975, Steven Spielberg's breakout thriller is widely credited with inventing the modern summer blockbuster, proving that audiences were hungry for big, suspense-filled entertainment during the warmer months. The legendary movie followed a star-studded cast led by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw, as a team on the hunt for a terrifying great white shark after it attacked beachgoers. The film grossed more than $475million worldwide, and has gone down as one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. Now, half a century later, the appetite for Jaws hasn't waned. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The iconic shark thriller is being honoured with special screenings, retrospectives, and a wave of fans looking to relive the fear from the comfort of their homes. If you're in the UK and eager to revisit the waters of Amity Island, you're in luck because Jaws is currently available to stream for free with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. It's also available to rent or buy on platforms including Apple TV and the Sky Store, for those looking for a one-off watch or to add it permanently to their digital library. For those wanting the full cinematic experience, several UK cinemas, including BFI Southbank and select Picturehouse venues, are celebrating the milestone with limited-run screenings throughout June and July. More Trending Fans can expect a newly restored 4K version to appear on select screens, delivering more detail than ever before. Collectors haven't been forgotten either. A special 50th Anniversary Blu-ray edition has just been released in the UK, featuring behind-the-scenes extras, interviews, and archival footage, making it a must-have for cinephiles and shark movie enthusiasts alike. So whether you're watching it for the very first time or returning for your annual dose of shark-inflicted anxiety, Jaws remains the perfect summer rewatch. Grab your popcorn, dim the lights, and cue that iconic two-note theme. Half a century later, Jaws still knows how to make a splash. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'One of the best horror films' is finally coming to Amazon Prime next week MORE: Clarkson's Farm star worried about being 'out of a job' after major decision MORE: The 'best horror film of 2025' has arrived on Amazon Prime's Shudder
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
'One of the best horror films' is finally coming to Amazon Prime next week
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A 'must see' horror movie is finally coming to streaming on Amazon Prime Video in just a few days. Nosferatu was released last year, with Bill Skarsgård leading a star-studded cast alongside Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Director Robert Eggers put his own stamp on the Dracula-inspired Gothic tale, following a young woman tortured by a psychic connection to an evil vampire. The scare-fest made a huge splash when it hit the big screen a few months ago, and was branded 'chilling', 'hauntingly beautiful' and 'downright evil' by cinemagoers. It raked more than $181million at the global box office and earned four Oscar nominations for best cinematography, best costume design, best production design and best hair and makeup styling. The film will now be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video from June 27, just in case fans missed it in cinemas, or want another excuse to be terrified. Nosferatu currently commands an impressive critics Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%, compared to an audience ranking of 73%. Jonathan M praised: 'The new Nosferatu was fantastic – beautifully dark atmosphere and amazing performances all around. It stayed true to the spirit of the classic while adding some fresh twists that kept things interesting. 'A couple of scenes felt slightly long, but overall, it's one of the best horror films I've seen lately.' Tyler F said: 'A horror absolute must see. You cannot unsee this movie. It's one of those ones that sticks with you.' 'The best Dracula-related film ever made. Proper Gothic treatment of the film. Eggers has created a masterpiece that will continue to inspire future generations,' Darko J agreed. Ronald M commented: 'A horror movie that focuses more on psychological and atmospheric creepiness than gore and jump scares. A very enjoyable reimagining of the almost-lost classic and a welcome deviation from the usual Dracula story. 'Excellent make-up effects on Count Olaf, and even better sound design that makes the bloodsucking sound so visceral and violent.' Jacob M added: 'This film is underrated. The gradual introduction of Count Orlok. The attention shifted between characters. It's captivating. Darkness at its finest. A masterpiece.' The official synopsis simply reads: 'Robert Eggers' Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.' However, unpacking his experience on set, Nicholas – who played Thomas Hutter – revealed that the scares weren't just saved for the screen, as he had a terrifying moment on set with his animal co-stars. In a recent interview with Empire magazine, he was questioned on whether he was 'actually freaked out' during filming, and recalled the 'rules' he was given when meeting the Czech Shepherds playing the 'wolves'. 'They were Czech Shepherds, so they weren't wolves but part-wolf. When we met them with the animal handlers, they were like, 'Oh, they're just like dogs,'' he said. 'When we got to set, there was a moment before that scene where I'm running on the spot, trying to get my heart rate up. 'The wolves – it sent them crazy. They'd been told to chase me and then they saw me getting myself fired up, and they were barking, being held back on these leashes. I was like, 'Whoa! Whoooooaaa.' More Trending 'And there was one time doing that shot where I was running – they'd be like, 'Okay, three-two-one, action,' and I would go on three, and [the wolves] would be released on one – and there was one time where I slipped, trying to get out of the window. 'I was like, 'Well, I know these wolves have been released, and I know they're chasing me, but I never asked, like… 'What are they trained to do if they do get to me? What's the end goal here, what if I don't make it out the window??'' 'I remember after that take, [David] being like, 'You pulled a weird face, we can't use that.' That was real! That was a moment of real panic!' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Clarkson's Farm star worried about being 'out of a job' after major decision MORE: 'I'm the 6ft 8in Alpha in 28 Years Later that's haunting your dreams' MORE: Netflix fans devour 'unrelenting' horror movie as sequel hits cinemas
