Jeremy Clarkson bans customer from his pub for complaining about the high prices thanks to his British-only menu

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

Jeremy Clarkson has banned a customer from his pub for complaining about the high prices on his menu - and it's not for the first time.
Fellow customers now barred from stepping inside Clarkson's pub The Farmers Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire include Keir Starmer, James May, and Richard Hammond.
But the most recent customer to incur the wrath of the former Top Gear presenter, 64, is not quite as famous.
The spat occurred after one customer accused the TV presenter of not caring about his customers.
They took to X to share their shock at paying £24 for a pie and vegetables and wrote: 'Thought @JeremyClarkson wanted an affordable pub for customers. £24 for pie and veg is a bit much.'
And another X user piled on, claiming they couldn't wait for cheaper US cuts of beef to bring down the price.
They wrote: 'Dead weight for British beef is far too expensive £6.89/kg for R4L down from the record high £6.98/kg earlier in the month.
'I can't wait till we get US beef cuts here because British beef industry is now taking the piss at those prices.'
The spat occurred after one customer accused the TV presenter of not caring about his customers by charging them £24 for a pie and some vegetables
And the suggestion didn't go down well with the Clarkson's Farm show host who simply wrote: 'You are now banned from the pub.'
Since it opened last summer, Clarkson has made sure to only use British products in his meals but his approach has not always gone down well with customers.
Earlier this year visitors revealed they were unimpressed after noticing several items, including ketchup and Coca-Cola, were missing from the menu.
Because Clarkson's pub only uses Great Britain's produce to support British farmers - some common condiments aren't on offer.
Although the former Top Gear host regularly discusses the importance of his strict business model, it seems some customers didn't get the memo.
One reviewer complained that 'drinks are limited, no cola, pepsi, lemonade or coffee', whilst another said: '(I) asked for some pepper and was told, "sorry no!!".
'Ate 3 mouthfuls and that was enough'.
A third person gave positive feedback before complaining: 'Sadly they do not have pepper or coffee - both items I really missed.
'It was strange not to have a coffee after my meal, and I always have pepper on my veg.'
They added how although they 'respect' Clarkson's decision to use local produce it was 'extreme' to not have pepper and coffee.
Clarkson's reluctance to make any small exceptions to the rule means he loses £10 for every customer who eats at his restaurant, as home-grown products are much more expensive.
He said in a column for The Times: 'Now, a business-minded person would look at these costs and realise that with British-only rules in place, a hotdog was going be priced at about £45.
'But I'm not a business-minded person. So I just filled my heart with hope, asked an AI program to work out what the average price of lunch in a Cotswolds pub is and just charged that.
'It's possible that for every customer who comes through the door I'd lose about £10.'
Prices for a main meal at the picturesque pub start at £20 for Wye Valley asparagus and garden pea Pearl barley.
For a steak pie, masked potato, carrots, seasonal greens and gravy, customers have to fork out £24 and for sausage and mash, it'll set them back £21.
The soup of the day starter with sourdough bread and butter costs £8.50 while the ham hock terrine costs an eye-brow raising £11.
But the prices don't seem to have put customers off and it seems locals and tourists alike are flocking to The Farmer's Dog - at the expense of other local boozers.
Earlier this year it was revealed that a historic country pub in the nearby village is up for sale after their business dropped dramatically.
The Three Horseshoes has been serving the quaint Cotswolds community since the 18th century - but since Clarkson's latest venture just a mile away has proved the more popular.