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Daily Record
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
'A 90-minute drive to Jeremy Clarkson's pub - here's what I thought'
Deputy Content Hub Director, Steffan Rhys visited The Farmer's Dog - Jeremy Clarkson's pub venture. As someone who did not believe he could be swayed by a show fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, Deputy Content Hub Director at Reach plc, Steffan Rhys, found himself 'falling head over heels for Clarkson's Farm'. On Sunday he decided to make the 90 minute journey to Oxfordshire to see Clarkson's latest venture, the Farmer's Dog pub, reports the Mirror. Steffan, who admits he was late to the party, is currently 'devouring the series at a rate of around one episode a day'. Currently halfway through the third series of the Amazon Prime smash hit, to Steffan's surprise it's become his 'latest obsession'. Steffan Rhys has this to say: "It's a thoroughly charming show - it's funny, sad (the piglets episode springs to mind – those who've seen it will understand what I mean), engaging and educational. But the cherry on top might just be witnessing Jeremy Clarkson himself falling in love with farming with all its triumphs and tribulations. "A major thread of the series so far (I'm halfway through series three) has followed Clarkson's dogged pursuit to launch a farm-to-fork restaurant at Diddly Squat Farm, aiming to plate up his own home-grown meat and vegetables alongside produce from neighbouring farms. However, facing resistance from the council and some locals, he ditches the dream for a fresh venture saying 'We thought instead of building a restaurant we would buy a pub.' "And so, The Farmer's Dog was born, roughly 10 miles south of the farm at the side of the A40 in Oxfordshire. "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. I've been to smaller music festivals. "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." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. He continued: "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 an 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 rag). Once parked, it was a short walk across the road to the pub. "The place was buzzing with activity, with scores of people queuing outside the pub, perhaps hoping to snag a walk-in table, grab a pint or snap a quick photo. Fortunately, with a reservation, we were able to bypass the line, thanks to a dedicated staff member who expertly ushered us to the front. "As we had arrived an hour ahead of our lunchtime booking, we decided to explore the pub's surroundings, which included a spacious shop, an outdoor bar, and an expansive beer garden. Thousands of patrons were soaking up the sunshine, perched on wooden benches or lounging on the grass, savouring a pint of Jeremy Clarkson's signature Hawkstone beer and taking in the breathtaking views of the Cotswolds countryside that the TV personality is so enamoured with. "The on-site shop offered a range of products, including crates and gift packs of the beer, as well as jams, marmalades, honey, candles and branded merchandise. There was a butcher too. I ended up purchasing a crate of lager (£28 for 12 bottles) and a £12 jar of honey harvested from the bees on Diddly Squat Farm." Is Sunday lunch at The Farmer's Dog worth the fuss? Steffan continued: "A few minutes shy of our 1 pm lunch reservation, we made our way back to the pub entrance, where we were promptly directed to head inside and track down a man by the name of John ("he looks like me but he's bald and he loves Welsh people"). Easy to spot, John led us to our table — arguably the best spot in the pub. "It was nestled in a cosy corner right next to the glass doors that opened onto the expansive outdoor terrace. So, we had the best of both worlds — a view of the entire interior and the fresh breeze and sunlight from outside. It was perfect. "Much like Clarkson does on his hit Amazon Prime show (being here, I was beginning to grasp how much of a hit it really was), the pub advertises its support for local farms. A chalkboard on the wall credits local farmers Vanessa Hartley and Nick Sinden, as well as Rectory Farm, among their current suppliers. "We ordered a pint of Hawkstone Black stout (£7) and a half-pint of Hawkstone lager (£3.50). They were fantastic, and as we waited for our food, we watched the staff bustling around the busy pub, carrying plates heaped with generous and appetising Sunday roasts, occasionally stepping over a dog lounging at its owner's feet. "There was a pianist serenading us from a grand piano near the entrance, a constant queue at the bar for drinks, and an infectious feel-good vibe permeating the whole place. Everyone seemed thrilled to be there, myself included. "My starter, a plate of cold-smoked Bibury trout (£11.50), was gorgeos — thick slices of flavourful trout that outshone any smoked salmon I've ever tasted. Having visited the local Bibury trout farm just two days prior made it all taste even better somehow, as did the accompanying horseradish cream and watercress salad. "For my main, I opted for the dual-meat option featuring beef and pork (£26), the only two meats available. They came with whole roasted potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips, spring greens, red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire pudding, and a stout-based gravy. "It's challenging to articulate how one excellent pub Sunday roast is better than 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). "There was also a single meat option for £2 less, and vegetarians could enjoy a Wye Valley asparagus dish with pea pearl barley and a poached egg. However, there didn't seem to be any options for vegans, which may or may not have been intentional given the owner." Steffan added. "Despite being too stuffed for dessert, we couldn't help but admire the Eton mess (£10.50) and poached rhubarb crumble cake served with Cotswolds ice cream (£10.50) that were whisked past our table. Both looked tempting. "Our meal was polished off within the hour, and the bill for two mains, a starter, and a couple of drinks totalled £80 (service included). Before departing, I took a moment to absorb more of the venue's unique atmosphere, venturing upstairs (which was also packed), and finally spotting the full-sized tractor suspended from the ceiling above the pianist that I'd somehow overlooked upon entering. Final thoughts He continued "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. "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."
North Wales Live
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I travelled for 90-minutes to eat at Jeremy Clarkson's pub and two words sum up the experience
A man has shared how two words sum up his experience at Jeremy Clarkson's pub The Farmer's Dog. The opening of the Oxfordshire boozer is heavily featured in the latest series of his Amazon Prime show Clarkson's Farm. Situated around 10 miles from Diddly Squat Farm, viewers of the show watched on as Jeremy spent thousands to open the pub in time for August Bank Holiday last year. And it seems that almost 12-months on, the eatery is as busy as ever. READ MORE: Drug dealer who hid cocaine in Vaseline tubs jailed Steffan Rhys, who writes for our sister site WalesOnline, shared his first impressions of the pub. He said: "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)." Steffan had a look around the shop on site before settling in for his food reservation. "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," he said. Steffan added: "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. "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 overriding 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."
