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.
