The best point of reference for Jeremy Clarkson’s new Cotswolds pub, at least for London types, might be Soho Farmhouse, a 30-minute drive to the north. The Farmer’s Dog is pocketed in a gentler part of the equestrian, gin-and-you-miss it landscape: not far from Witney and Lord Cameron (east), and Burford (west), an Arts and Crafts town home to postcard cottages, Oxford Blue cheese and an excellent curry house. It’s called Spice Lounge, if you’re wondering, and it’s run by my school friend Jaf.
What’s the Farmer’s Dog all about? PR, sure, but also Clarkson’s keen and very real interest in fine British produce. Available are his own Hawkstone beers, lager, stout and cider, pulled by him if you’re lucky. Pints start at £5.50 (for a cask ale) and there’s a considered selection of English wines from across the country. The cheapest glass, also £5.50, is a white: Château Dorking (as per the menu). But don’t worry, Clarkson hasn’t swerved the lady petrol, long cited as his favourite drink. There’s a decent one from Gloucestershire but it would be worth upping the ante and spending £7.50 on a glass of Château Tenterden (again: his joke, not mine) from Chapel Down in Kent.
To eat, a simple menu comprising pub classics. Starters sit below £10 and main courses aren’t more than £20. It’s local pork in the sausage rolls, same for the beef in the steak pie. Big dishes come with “veg of the day”, a pub tradition bound to the simple nature of the countryside. The only curiosity is a lack of fish. There’s a carvery roast come weekends.
The pub is big, by the way, and kitted out in a bucolic, carefree fashion. There’s a lot of wood and foliage and an old tractor suspended from the ceiling. A fairly inviting space: strong beams; excellent stone. Outside is better yet thanks to sweeping views of the Oxfordshire countryside. These can be enjoyed on a terrace, or by a shed selling milk, dubbed “cow juice” — the live laugh love of farming lingo.
All in all, Clarkson’s attempts at a pub are nothing but sound: beer, meat, the greenery of life — and a long broadcasting career — culminating in what could well prove to be a highly popular endeavour.
