Latest news with #Burford
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jeremy Clarkson's girlfriend Lisa Hogan sacked from pub job
Jeremy Clarkson's girlfriend, Lisa Hogan, has revealed that she was sacked from her job at a pub. The Irish actress and model began dating the former Top Gear and Grand Tour host back in 2017 and regularly appears on Clarkson's Farm. Series four of the documentary show was released across May and June this year, with eight new episodes dropping on Prime Video. READ MORE: Clarkson's Farm star announces new venture after leaving show Jeremy Clarkson and Lisa Hogan at Cheltenham Festival. (Image: Andrew Matthews/PA) One of the main topics covered was Mr Clarkson's £1,000,000 takeover of The Windmill pub in Asthall near Burford. Renamed The Farmer's Dog, the Cotswolds boozer opened to the public last August and saw a huge effort from the team, including Ms Hogan, to get it ready in time. The 51-year-old has now revealed that she was once sacked for a job at a pub in Australia, according to the Daily Star. READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson's customers share bizarre Cotswolds pub complaint Experience the pulse of Oxford at your fingertips 🗞️ With our flash sale, Oxford Mail keeps you updated for less: only £4 for 4 months or save 40 per cent on an annual subscription. Don't miss out on what's happening locally #DigitalDeal #LocalJournalismhttps:// — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) June 16, 2025 'I was fired from a bar in Australia! Some people had ordered a bottle of wine, and I couldn't get the cork out, so I put the bottle between my legs and pulled,' she said. 'There might have been some comments made by the men at the table, they were being a bit naughty, and I might have given them back as good as I got. "They complained, and I was fired.' Series five of Clarkson's Farm was confirmed by Mr Clarkson last year and has already started filming, with Ms Hogan expected to feature once again.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Big Brother star and food critic Henry Southan savages Jeremy Clarkson's Farmer's Dog pub as he moans about 'dry' beef and the overflow car park being 'too far away'
Big Brother star and food critic Henry Southan savaged Jeremy Clarkson's Farmer's Dog pub in a new TikTok video posted this week. The TV star and food influencer, 26, decided to take his dad to the pub near Burford in Oxfordshire to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday. But he wasn't too impressed with the food complaining that the beef and pork on his roast dinner where dry and moaned that the overflow car park was too far away from the actual restaurant. He penned in the caption of his video posted to TikTok on Tuesday: ' Jeremy Clarkson 's pub was… interesting.' He said in his video as he arrived at the overflow car park: 'It's like arriving at Glastonbury - this is the overflow car park. I am in a field far away from the pub and I am having to trek to the pub even with a reservation.' As he made his way to the pub he went on: 'This better be the best roast I have ever eaten to justify the pain of just parking and getting here. I am being a proper moaner right now I'm sorry but it's just crazy.' The TV star and food influencer, 26, decided to take his dad to the pub near Burford in Oxfordshire to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday He later added as he approached the pub: 'There is a massive queue out the door - do I have to queue in that even if I have a reservation for now?' Later filming himself eating his roast he said to his dad: 'You were right about the beef it is really dry!' Henry even looked like he was struggling to chew his mouthful as he spoke to his dad. He then tried the pork and commented: 'The pork is also really dry!' Henry then zoomed in on his plate of food as he pushed his roast potatoes with his knife to point out their lack of crispness. At the end of his clip he looked completely bewildered as he shared that the pub piano was playing the EastEnders theme tune. After the negative review some of his followers weren't too happy with what he had said - while others agreed that they had also found the pub food average. One said: 'Sir.. he opened a rural pub that serves British farm food not a fancy restaurant for the rich.' Another added: 'Such a positive attitude to helping the local British farmers...' A third said: 'booked busiest restaurant in Britain right now - angry when busy ?????' However one of the viewers of his clip agreed with him, writing: 'It's a weird vibe in there. Food is mid.' It comes after last September Jeremy gave a telling answer to a question about his struggling pub, The Farmer's Dog, when he appeared on Good Morning Britain. His boozer, which opened its doors last August, only uses produce from Great Britain- including even seasonings such as pepper and salt - all in the hopes of further supporting British farmers. However, this has left the former Top Gear presenter in a bit of a pickle as he quickly discovered the significantly higher costs for home-grown products. And it appeared The Grand Tour host was not up for discussing the recent challenges because when showbiz correspondent Richard Arnold enquired about it, he shut the conversation down with one word: 'Don't.' Alongside his motoring pals James May and Richard Hammond, Jeremy, 64, admitted that before opening the establishment, he was warned not to do it. Fellow presenter James said: 'It's making money, isn't it? And it's easy to run,' After the negative review some of his followers weren't too happy with what he had said - while others agreed that they had also found the pub food average Jeremy then quickly retorted and revealed the sage advice he ignored from friends such as James Blunt and Guy Ritchie. He said: 'No. It's properly difficult. He said not to get one. He said 'I've got one, don't get one,' and I got one. James Blunt also told me not to get one, Guy Ritchie told me not to get one.' It came after he confessed he is likely losing '£10 per customer' at his the pub in the Cotswolds because of his strict business model. The TV star said he hoped to make a success of The Farmer's Dog but added using only British produce meant that profit margins would be much lower. He said using pork from his Diddly Squat farm would cost 0.74p to turn into sausage to be sold at the pub. But if he used imported pig meat it would be 0.18p. He said: 'It costs us 0.74p to get a sausage into here, but if I buy imported pig meat it is 0.18. There is something wrong with the food system in this country.' As well as his financial woes, Jeremy revealed he has created a VIP bar at the pub, but it is just for farmers. The former Top Gear presenter said that only agricultural workers were allowed in the 'upstairs bar' at his boozer. People waited patiently for a taste of his £6 pint of Hawkstone beer or the chance to tuck into an £18 plate of sausage and mash at the opening. However, one disgruntled Instagram user slammed the prices as 'sick' and said: 'Really necessary to charge those prices? Absolutely ripping people off because it's on TV.' But Jeremy defended the prices and said: 'Every single thing was grown by British farmers, even the black pepper and sugar!' However, this has left the former Top Gear presenter in a bit of a pickle as he quickly discovered the significantly higher costs for home-grown products But buying directly from local producers and guaranteeing fair pay for British farmers means an increase in price for pub customers. Hawkstone IPA, Hawkstone Premium, Hawkstone Hedgerow Cider, and Hawkstone Cider all come in at £6 a pint, a half-pint will set punters back £3.10. Hawkstone Session Lager comes in at the fractionally cheaper cost of £5.50 per pint, which is the same price for a Hawkstone Pils, Hawkstone Breeze, and cask ale — halves of which are £2.90. The pub also sells cans of alcohol-free Hawkstone Spa lager for £3.10. Along with steak pie and mash (£19), other main courses include gammon steak (£19), sausages and mash (£18), as well as a vegetable and cheddar crumble (£15). Puddings cost around £8 with both apple crumble and cheesecake on the menu.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Canada's G7: An awkward AUKUS moment
Chris Green, who works at the park near Burford, raised £2,500 for Prostate Cancer UK with the shave during Men's Health Week, which is running from June 9 to 15. Mr Green said: "This is a charity close to my heart as unfortunately two of my friends are currently receiving treatment for this disease. Chris Green having his head shaved by penguin keeper Laura (Image: Philip Joyce) "Prostate Cancer UK have been such an incredible support during their time of need, I really wanted to do something to raise funds for such an amazing and life-changing charity." Mr Green has worked at the park for 18 years and is well known for his impressive beard, which he had been growing for nine months before the fundraiser. The challenge was carried out beside the penguin pool by penguin keeper Laura, with a curious penguin named JJ watching on. Chris Green with penguin JJ (Image: Philip Joyce) JJ was the first penguin Mr Green helped to hand-rear when he started at the park in 2007. Following the shave, his beard and hair clippings are being put to good use as bedding for the park's rodent species. Visitors, friends, and staff rallied around to help him pass his original fundraising target of £500, and he is still collecting donations online. Chris Green having his beard shaved (Image: Philip Joyce) Mr Green said: "My new look may have raised a few eyebrows but it has also raised a lot of money for one of my favourite charities. "I'm lost for words at everyone's generosity. Thanks to all those who have supported me." He has promised to keep the 'halfsie' for another week to raise further funds, with visitors at the park continuing to donate after hearing his story. Chris Jarrett, director of fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, said: "We're so grateful for the innovative support of Chris, who for many years has been a passionate supporter of many great causes. Chris Jarrett, director of fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, Chris Green, and bird keeper Laura (Image: Philip Joyce) "We're told he never does things by halves, so this hair-raising challenge is fitting and will certainly make him hard to miss. "We thank him and Cotswold Wildlife Park for raising crucial funds and amazing awareness too. "Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and an early diagnosis can save your life. "Chris' story illustrates just why more men need to be aware of the risk of prostate cancer. "Men are at higher risk if they are over 50, black, or have a father or brother who has had prostate cancer. "Anyone with concerns should visit the charity's online risk checker.'
Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Telegraph
A dog-friendly guide to the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is crying out for dog owners to descend on its grassy hills and leafy villages, for it's the kind of place that's so dog-friendly, it would be easier to come up with a list of places dogs can't go. Whether you fancy a long walk through fine country estates, an afternoon by the fire in the pub, or even a day in a museum, this almost excruciatingly quaint region will keep every man and his dog happy. Expect a warm welcome in the independent shops of Burford and Witney, and don't miss a paddle in the shallow River Windrush in Bourton-on-the-Water – perhaps just steer clear of Duck Race weekend in case the dog gets overzealous. Out here in the countryside you'll find a wealth of cracking accommodation putting on a warm welcome for dogs and their humans – including properties with their own agility courses to test your dog's talents. Here's how to spend a great weekend in the Cotswolds with your dog. In this guide: Things to do It would be easy enough to spend an entire weekend just walking, eating and drinking in the Cotswolds. But if you prefer something a little more cultural, or you've got kids in tow who need some entertainment, there's plenty to do in this bucolic region to keep the whole family happy – even when it's raining. Batsford Arboretum There's rarely a bad time to go to Batsford Arboretum, but one of the best times to visit is spring, when its magnificent magnolias burst into flower, some with petals as large as your face. Expect to stroll beneath a canopy of rich green in summer as the trees flourish, and in autumn, you'll find a stunning collection of acers bringing pops of colour throughout. Dogs are welcome to walk with you all over the arboretum, as well as in the café and garden centre. Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens If your dog thinks they're at the top of the food chain, this might just be the place to give them some perspective. Based in Burford, this zoo lets you stroll along its footpaths with the dog on a short lead, meaning they can meet big cats, come face to face with rhinos and even spot an emu. Dogs can't go inside any of the reptile houses or on the lemur walk, nor can they dine with you in the catering establishments, but they're welcome on the tiny train that traverses the parkland and can sit outside wherever you are eating.
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain's pubs are being ‘taxed out of existence'. Can Clarkson's Farm help?
Jeremy Clarkson seems determined to find an answer to that age-old question: how do you make a small fortune? After he first tried by starting with a large fortune and buying a farm, he then turned his attention to running a pub, that other once-great British totem that has fallen on hard times. Perhaps an airline or football club is next. In the latest series of Clarkson's Farm, which chronicles the petrol-head's life as he brings his Top Gear sensibility to the Oxfordshire countryside, we see him attempt to transform a knackered old boozer off the A40 into a thriving pub that serves the produce of local farms. On the hunt for his ideal site, as chronicled on Prime Video, Clarkson sees a staggering number of pubs that are either up for sale or have been left empty by owners unable to make ends meet. Things do not get off to a great start: one has so many health-and-safety signs which assault his senses as he crosses the threshold that he immediately feels unwelcome. 'What's stark about his search for his pub is just how many pubs are vacant or available,' says Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) who lives near the presenter in the Cotswolds. 'As Clarkson says, 'What would a village be without its village pub? It would just be a collection of houses.'' After deciding to buy The Windmill in the market town of Burford – which he has since opened and renamed The Farmer's Dog – last July, Clarkson solicits advice from his celebrity friends about what challenges await him as he tries to turn his 'farm-to-fork' idea from a dream into reality. We see Piers Morgan – whom he once thumped on Concorde – warn him that punters will almost certainly try to steal things, from cutlery and salt shakers to the art off the walls. James Blunt says he will have to worry about drink-drivers and struggles hiring staff. Clarkson's erstwhile Top Gear chum, James May, droned on about how expensive everything was, especially accountancy fees, insurance premiums and employee wages. But it was film director Guy Ritchie who put it in the starkest terms, when he warned that sometimes 'it looks like you're making £50k a week but it transpires you're losing £10k a week'. No wonder, then, that the number of British pubs is collapsing. There were more than 60,000 pubs in Britain at the turn of the millennium, but today that number has fallen by a quarter to 45,000, according to the BBPA. Publicans have had to put up with steeper taxes, the pandemic lockdowns, surging energy prices and, most recently, Rachel Reeves's hike in National Insurance contributions on employers, which has pushed up staff costs. The BBPA estimates that £1 in every £3 taken at the bar goes straight to the taxman: of the surviving pubs and bars, one third are operating at a loss as a result of being so heavily taxed, the UK Hospitality trade group reckons. So it is perhaps no surprise that Clarkson found so many pubs available to buy when he started looking. 'There are always, sadly, businesses that fail: you will always get closures in any given year. Normally you would expect them to be brought back to life. The cost pressures that the Chancellor has imposed makes that impossible,' says Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality's chief executive. 'What Clarkson's demonstrating is this is the most highly taxed, highly regulated sector of the economy, and we're taxing too many businesses out of existence altogether.' Pubs can be a money sink, meaning that any aspiring pint-pullers do need some serious cash to get things going in the first place. Clarkson, for instance, was told by his surveyor before buying the pub that he would need to spend £150,000 to repair the roof and £100,000 to upgrade the lavatories. In typical fashion, he ignores all of this advice – saying that such surveys were an exercise in 'a--e-covering' – and sets about trying to do up his pub at six weeks' notice with a budget of no more than £25,000. And yet, as has become routine in his series, it turns out to be much more complicated than that. For instance, having assumed that his kitchen was good to go, he was told that he might have to spend as much as £100,000 upgrading the kit – including a £7,000 oven – which could be cut to about £40,000 if he bought refurbished goods. Rachel Hawkins, a consultant Clarkson employs to help him get his pub up and running, tells him that managing a hostelry is more complicated than it looks. 'You see a smiley waitress pulling a pint. That is about 1 per cent of it.' The fact that Clarkson struggles so much underlines how precarious the wider industry is. 'What the programme highlights very well is that if you've got a lot of money and you've got that name, then you can probably try to make a go of it; you can take one of these sites and turn it around, but it's going to need a lot of investment behind it,' says Nicholls. 'Even then, it's still difficult to make a profit and do the altruistic thing of supporting local farmers.' Clarkson's Farm has been lauded for putting the struggles regular farmers face firmly on the agenda. Tim Martin, the founder of Wetherspoons, who is probably Britain's most successful publican, tells me that he hopes what Clarkson has done for farmers could be replicated with the nation's pub landlords – especially when it comes to getting the Government's attention. 'The fact that Clarkson has been frank about the great complexity and costs involved in running a pub is a huge benefit for the industry,' he says. 'Ministers tend to regard pubs as a milch cow that can endure further taxes or regulations ad infinitum. However, thanks to Clarkson's report from the front line, the plight of pubs is becoming clear.' Kris Gumbrell, the founder of Brewhouse & Kitchen, a chain of 21 bars with 500 staff, says that he has been 'addicted' to watching Clarkson's show and reading his stories about running the pub. And he admits that he has raised a 'wry smile' when he hears about issues Clarkson has had – such as sky-high energy bills – that he has also experienced. 'I'm watching it, and a lot of the challenges he's [had] resonate with people in the sector. The good thing is, he's drawing attention to problems that a lot of publicans have, a lot of people in the pub industry are encountering every day and have been for some time,' Gumbrell says. 'It's a great industry and I'm pleased that Jeremy Clarkson has jumped into it, but I've seen his woes and we've all been there.' Having the reality of running a pub depicted in such a popular series – with a figure as famous as Clarkson behind the bar – will also educate punters about how hard the graft can be. 'From a guest point of view, opening up the workings of a pub and to understand what really goes on behind the scenes – the pressures and the challenges we have every day – are good for the guests to understand,' Gumbrell says. 'Everybody knows how to run a pub until they get one. Everybody's got an opinion about how a pub should be run, but it's very different when you're actually at the coal face with your hand in your pocket or writing those cheques. He's very good at exposing the realities.' Though there are so many challenges that publicans face – with pubs closing down every week – those remaining in the industry are a resilient bunch and have a habit of trying to accentuate the positives. 'Despite everything, Clarkson still opened his pub. He still wants to have that, he still wants to serve the community,' says the BBPA's McClarkin. 'There is something in it that makes it worthwhile. People still do want to go to the pub. There is still demand there.' She adds: 'We need to lean in and get behind them. I really hope the programme – just as it did for farming – begins to open everybody's eyes about how you run a pub, how difficult it is and what support we need.'
