Jeremy Clarkson pub: Fans and residents give verdicts

Nestled in the picturesque Oxfordshire countryside, there are a huge number of historical pubs to enjoy a quiet pint. But only one of them had hundreds of people flocking to it from all over the country on Friday.

Jeremy Clarkson’s latest venture already seems to be a huge success – so what is it like at The Farmer’s Dog and why are so many people excited?

The Cotswolds have long been a destination in their own right, but visitors travelled from near and far for the chance to experience Jeremy Clarkson’s newest business.

Hundreds of cars, lined bumper-to-bumper as they were directed into an Oxfordshire field, filled with tourists hailing from Newcastle, Essex, the Channel Islands and beyond.

Many of them were lured to Oxfordshire after watching Prime Video’s reality show Clarkson’s Farm, eager to discover what the former Top Gear presenter had in store for them in Asthall.

The bright sunshine certainly helped bring out the crowds on the opening day. Coming off the A40, the roof and stone walls were already peaking out of the trees.

It was only when directly outside that scale of the operation became apparent. The queue to get into the bar snaked around the pub, giving those waiting plenty of time to take in the rolling Oxfordshire hills and Windrush Valley.

In the line there were plenty of people eager to get their fill of all things Clarkson. This was the second attraction of the day for holidaymakers Kirsty and Steve from Brighton, having already visited the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, about 10 miles away, first thing.

They travelled to area as they’re “obsessed” with the series: “We binged all three seasons in a few weeks, and we decided we wanted to visit.”

Futher along the line, were Hannah and her partner. For them, the visit was a celebration, as Hannah had just finished a week of radiotherapy treatment at the Churchill Hospital in nearby Oxford.

She said: “We just thought we’d come and treat ourselves and see Jeremy and the gang.”

Toby was travelling home to Essex from the Forest of Dean with his family and they wanted to pop in on route.

He said he was “curious” and thought the whole thing has “become a bit of a social phenomenon”.

One of the key reasons he likes the Clarkson’s Farm programme is because he feels it is “educating people on how farming actually works”.

Fans of the first Jeremy Clarkson show on Prime – The Grand Tour – will see a regular sight with that shows tent now a marquee in the garden.

Just next door, metal sculptor Christopher Townsend watched from his workshop as hundreds of cars streamed into the overflow car park.

“This is usually quite a quiet spot”, he said, “just me, my two neighbours and the occasional farmer popping in for a cup of tea, so it’s all a bit different.”

He’s positive about the change and said he welcomed Jeremy Clarkson and his TV production crew in his workshop over the summer, as the pub was being renovated.

His celebrity neighbours have even inspired Christopher creatively, as he’s forged them a metal sculpture called ‘The Farmer’s Tree’, with names of the show’s stars – including animals – etched into its leaves. He plans to gift it to them soon.

He hopes the crowds flocking to the pub may help his own business, but does have longer-term concerns about parking, which was an issue at Diddly Squat Farm Shop.

“It seems like because of Diddly Squat they’ve done the homework, but who knows.”

In the nearby village of Minster Lovell, it was hard to find people who weren’t enthusiastic about the pub’s opening.

“Everyone seems to like the idea”, said musician Des. “It’s just good there’s another venue open, there’s so many pubs that have closed down.”

“Good luck to the bloke”, said villager Adrian. He felt the pub would be a positive addition to the local area and could be “a bit of business for the local farmers.”

Online, some residents have expressed concerns about potential traffic problems for the area, as the pub is located on the busy A40 road.

One Facebook user said: “I do worry about traffic though. I popped by the farm shop at the weekend. It was utter chaos.”

Another wrote: “Might need three lanes on the A40 for the queuing cars and parked cars.”

For the pub’s inaugural day however, visitors had little criticism. Many praised the organisation, with event staff deployed to direct cars into a large overflow carpark.

Ahead of the opening, Mr Clarkson posted on X (formerly Twitter) spelling out his thanks to Oxfordshire County Council for their help with traffic and parking, which allowed him to open the pub so soon after buying it.

Since migrating from entertaining petrolheads to showing the world the troubles faced by British farmers, millions have seen a different side to Clarkson, who has been long renowned for his outspoken persona and controversies, such as comments about Meghan Markle or being dropped from Top Gear.

On Clarkson’s Farm, he has shown an interest in doing what he can to make his holding ecologically sound and was visibly upset when piglets were inadvertently killed by their mother.

But despite the success of the show, running the farm has been anything but a simple endeavour.

There have been well documented disputes with West Oxfordshire District Council over his development of a farm shop, a short-lived restaurant on the site and the car park saga.

Two people opposed to some of the developments even received death threats.

There of course have been the more standard farm-related problems too, such as razor thin margins, the impact of terrible weather on crops and the difficulties of dealing with livestock.

Dispute the problems though, Clarkson’s Farm has been praised for showing the public the reality of British farming.

“The show has made people more aware of what farmers go through,” Andy Barr, a pig farmer, previously told the BBC.

“A lot of it I think is true. It shows a lot of the stress.”

Mr Clarkson has even found himself credited as the reason for a huge rise in membership of Norfolk Federation of Young Farmers, such is the appeal of the programme.

The opening of The Farmer’s Dog may make a fascinating chapter on Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video but as many publicans up and down the UK will testify, the pub trade has become a notoriously difficult one in recent years.

Jeremy Clarkson himself has already noted the challenges ahead, not least as he intends to only serve food and drink from Britain in the pub.

Admitting he “hasn’t made a business plan” he claimed it is more expensive to sell pork from his own pigs in the pub than it is to buy from abroad.

However, a video posted by Mr Clarkson to 8m Instagram followers showed a busy bar with plenty of people queuing for drinks, with pints starting at £5.50.

A steady stream of visitors lined the paths leading to The Farmer’s Dog throughout the day.

When they returned to their cars, many had arms full of Clarkson products.